Questions & Replies: Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs

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2012-10-31

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Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1959
Mr T W Coetzee (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether any entity reporting to him has budgeted for (a) financial donations or (b) sponsorships in the (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13 financial years; if not, why not; if so, in each case, what amount was (aa) budgeted and (bb) spent? NW2348E

REPLY

(a-b) The South African Cities Network (SACN) and Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) did not budget for any financial donations or sponsorships in (i) 2009110; (ii) 2010111 and (iv) 2011112 (v) 2012f13 financial years. The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) did not budget for financial donations but budgeted for sponsorships in (i) 2009110; (ii) 2010/11 and (iv) 2011122 (v) 2012/13 financial years for charitable support to identified charity organisations as part of Nelson Mandela Day Commemoration.

(aa-bb)The sponsorship budget spent to the selected charity organisations since 2009110 to 2012113 financial years amount to R34 668. SALGA has also allocated R30 000 in 2012113 to fund similar charity organisations and it has to date paid an amount of R 1 979 to these charity organisation. The budgets and amounts spent over the period of four (4) years is broken down in the table below:


Year

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

Budget

R 2 000

R 20 000

R 12 668

R 30 000

Spent

R 2 000

R 20 000

R 12 668

R 1 979

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO. 1931
Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:


(I) Whether any studies have been conducted into the impact that the employment of female firefighters may have on service delivery; if not, why not; if so, what were the findings;

(2) what alternative mechanisms have been put in place in all municipalities and especially the Ekurhuleni Metro, to replace female firefighters (a) who are pregnant, (b) who are breastfeeding and (c)menstruating, in the light of the current chronic lack of human resources across the metro;

(3) whether all applicants for firefighter positions are required to exceed a certain physical strength before being employed as a firefighter; if not, why not; if so, what (a) IS the specified requirement for physical strength and (b) are the further relevant details? NW2320E


REPLY

(1) The Department has not conducted any studies into the impact that the employment of female firefighters may have on service delivery. Fire Services in South Africa is still coming to terms with equal employment practices and as such the objectives of a study directed at the impact of equal employment practices of firefighters in terms of service delivery are not clear.

(2)A firefighter who cannot be used operationally in the fire service, due to operational incapacity (perceived or otherwise), may be utilised in other functional areas of a fire service or the municipality.

With regard to Ekurhuleni:

(a) Firefighters who are pregnant are immediately placed on light duty, in terns of a pregnancy policy and are only used in areas that are identified to be safe for both mother and child.

(b) The Metro Fire Services has formulated a policy dealing with issues such as breastfeeding firefighters and this policy is currently at the Local Labour Forum (LLF) awaiting approval.

(c) Female firefighters incapacitated due to menstruation should follow the normal sick leave provisions.

The Ekurhuleni Fire Services also conduct regular medical surveillance of firefighters in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act to evaluate their physical and medical ability to perform their work.

(3) Each municipality as an employer may set standards for the employment of firefighters in terms of physical strength and as such no - single specified requirement exists.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION 1930

1930. Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and

Traditional Affairs: NDMC

(1) Whether the Southern African Emergency Services Institute (SAESI) isresponsible for (a) the regulation of training standards for firefighters and (b) ensuring compliance of training standards; if not, in each case, who is responsible; if so, how does the institute ensure the compliance of training standards at all firefighting training schools;

(2) whether the SAESI has evaluated each graduating firefighter from each specified training school to ensure that he or she passes minimum standards; if not, (a) why not and (b) which independent body verifies that each graduating firefighter meets or passes minimum standards; if so, (i) how is this done, (ii) at which venues and (iii) how many firefighters (aa) were evaluated and (bb) passed in the (aaa) 2009-1 0, (bbb) 2010-1 1 and (ccc) 201 1-12 financial years? NW2319E

REPLY

(I) (a) The South African Emergency Services institute (SAESI) is responsible for the regulation of training standards for firefighters as it relates to their membership of SAESI. (b) Compliance to SAESI training standards is achieved through moderation and Quality Assurance visits conducted by the SAESl Accreditation Committee.

(2) (a) The evaluation of firefighters is continuous throughout training and culminates in a final examination comprising (a) written examination($ and a set of practical evaluations under the supervision of a moderator. (b) SAESl is also currently the Education and Training Quality Assurer (ETQA) for the Local Government Sector Education Training Authority (LGSETA) who has responsibility to verify education and training. At the time of finalising this memo, the NDMC was still waiting for response from SAESI on the number of firefighters trained by SAESI from 2009 till 2012.

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO. 1929
Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether any independent body is responsible for the medical training of firefighters; if not, why not; if so, (a) what body, (b) how does the specified body evaluate every individual firefighter to ensure that he or she meets and exceeds minimum medical standards and (c) what are the further relevant details? NW2318E

REPLY

Firefighters are medically trained at various academies registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). The HPCSA, through the Professional Board for Emergency Medical Care, oversees and regulates the medical training of any person, including firefighters, who intends to work in a health related field.

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO 1928
Mrs D Robinson (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:


(1) Whether there is a prescribed list of equipment that every fire engine must have stationed on them at all times; if not, why not; if so, what (a) is the minimum emergency equipment and (b) are the further relevant details;

(2) whether all fire engines must be equipped with (a) stabilisation jacks, (b) a reciprocating saw, (c) chop blocks, (d) jaws of life, (e) airbag retainers, (f) a pneumatic air chisel, (g) vetta bags, (h) a stokes basket and (i) any other specified pieces of equipment; if not, why not; if so, (i) how many in each case, (ii) how often must the equipment be replaced, (iii) how often are pieces of equipment meant to be tested and (iv) what is the life-span of the Jaws of Life? NW2317E

REPLY

(1) There is no prescribed list of equipment that every fire engine must have stationed on them at all times. Each municipal area is faced with a unique risk profile as determined by the Chief Fire Officer of the municipality. The risk assessment undertaken to determine the risk profile therefore informs the type and amount of equipment to be placed on a vehicle-.

(2) (i) (a-i); there is no prescribed list of equipment that every fire engine must be equipped with. Each municipal area is faced with a unique risk profile as determined by the Chief Fire Officer following a risk assessment of the municipality which informs the type and amount of equipment to be placed on a vehicle.

(ii) Equipment should be replaced based on the recommendations of the manufacturer of the specific piece of equipment.

(iii) Equipment should be tested based on the recommendations of the manufacturer of the specific piece of equipment.

(iv) The replacement of the equipment is firstly guided by the manufacturer first and foremost. However, the serviceability of the equipment, economical repairs versus the cost of replacing the Jaws of Life, is also a strong consideration in determining the lifespan of the equipment.

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO 1839

Mrs S V Kalyan (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(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:

Department of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs

1. a) Cogta (i) Yes and (ii) on average 80% of payments are made within 30 days from date of receipt of invoices, except if invoices received are inaccurate such as banking details.

(aa) 10 service providers/suppliers in the Department with outstanding payments that have not been paid within 30 days,

(bb) The monetary value of outstanding invoices is R264 536.49 (Two hundred and sixty four thousand five hundred and thirty six rand forty nine cent)

(cc) The invoices period varies between 30 and 186 days

2. a) No interest has been charged on these invoices at this stage. The affected service providers/suppliers submitted their invoice a month late in the Department.

a) (i) no interest

(ii) no interest

3. No revised payment schedules were arranged as no interest has been charged.

4. a) The main reasons for not making payments within 30 days is that invoices are received late from the service providers, or incorrect banking details from either service provider/ suppliers.

5. (a) Cogta (i) Yes, the Department has internal control by ensuring that we date stamp all invoices upon receipt. Invoices are are matched to orders and thereafter forwarded to the relevant end users for certification on whether services were received or rendered as ordered. Lastly by submitting monthly report to National Treasury and to the Accounting Officer, and

(ii) Yes, follow up on all outstanding payment is done on a weekly basis.

Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB)

1. The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) does generally make payment within 30 days, except if there is a reason for delays.

(aa) Based on the age analysis drawn on 27 September 2012, there are 3 suppliers / service providers with outstanding payments that have not been paid within 30 days.

(bb) The monetary value of outstanding payments are R31,274.49

(cc) 30 days - R17,594.49

180 days - R13,680.00

2. The Municipal Demarcation Board is not liable for any interest charged on overdue payments. The nature and reasons of the amounts outstanding (as discussed in 4) will not give rise to any interest on outstanding amounts.

3. The reasons discussed in point 4 do not necessitate it to discuss revised payment schedules.

4. Amounts due between 30 and 60 days: The affected service providers submitted their invoices a month late to the MDB for payment.

5. The Municipal Demarcation Board capture all invoices on the invoice date in the general ledger (they report on GRAP), which does result in the aging of the invoices, though it was received late. The late payments are included in the next payment run within a week.

South African Cities Network (SACN)

(1) South African Cities Network processes all payments due to suppliers and service providers within 30 days of receiving invoices as specified in the PFMA.

(aa) No service providers are awaiting payment.

(bb) Not applicable.

(cc) Not applicable

(2) The SACN is not liable for any interest charged on overdue accounts as they process all invoices within 30 days.

(3) Not applicable.

(4) Not applicable.

(5) The SACN always facilitate immediate payments of accounts upon receipt of invoices from service providers or suppliers.

South African Local Government Association (SALGA)

(1) SALGA process payments to suppliers and service providers within 30 days of receiving invoices as specified in the PFMA.

(aa) As at 31 August 2012 - 50 suppliers.

(bb) As at 31 August 2012 - R2.1 million.

(dd) As at 31 August 2012 – Aging 31 – 60 days.

(2) (b) No

(i) The delays in payments are mainly caused by late submission of invoices or goods and services.

(ii) N/A

(3) (b) No

(4) (b) Invoices received late and/or no statement attached in terms of our creditor payment reconciliation policy and procedure and/or invoices not yet approved for payment (i.e. certification that the goods/services have been delivered / service rendered as ordered).

(5) (b) Yes

(i)SALGA has internal controls in the form of:

· ensuring that the documentation received is date stamped to identify cases where invoices are received late.

· supplier reconciliations are done on a monthly basis to identify invoices that we may not have received from the supplier.

· Upon receipt of the above, invoices are matched to purchase orders and are forwarded to the relevant end user / requestor to certify via signature that the goods / services were received / rendered as ordered.

(ii) Yes

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO. 1781

1781. Mr D J Stubbe (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

1) Whether with reference to his reply to question 536 on 26 March 2010, the Fire Brigade Board has been re-constituted; if not, why not; if so, (a) when was it re-constituted, (b) who serves on the board, (c) what is each person's qualifications and (d) on which dates has it met since it was re-constituted;

REPLY

(1) In terms of the South African Constitution, fire-fighting services are a functional local government matter as outlined in paragraph B of Schedule 4 with national and provincial oversight. Proclamation R 153 of 1994further assigned, all sections of the Fire Brigade Services Act, 1987 (Act 99 of 1987), to the provincial sphere of government, with the exception of Section 2 (Fire Brigade Board) and 15 (Regulations) which remained the administrative responsibility of national government.

The Minister appointed the members of the Fire Brigade Board in September 2010 following an extensive nomination process of individuals in line with the portfolios they held in the various administrations. Following this appointments, some MECs who were members of the FBB changed portfolios which necessitated a new process of nomination and appointment. The Department has resolved to appoint all FBB members on an ex officio basis to minimise disruptions in future operations of the FBB when there are such changes. The Acting Minister has on the 6th of September 2011 designated FBB members and has also requested all the Premiers to designate MECs who will represent their provinces in the newly reconstituted FBB. The Department has accordingly communicated with all FBB members regarding this designation/appointment.

The FBB comprises of the following members as set out in Section 2 of the FBSA:

a. Minister: COGTA as Chairperson;

b. All the MECs responsible for the administration of the Fire Brigade Services Act, 1987 (Act No. 99 of 1987);

c. Deputy Minister of Finance;

d. President: Southern African Emergency Services Institute (SAESI);

e. Organized business representative, General Manager: Fire Protection Association of South Africa;

f. Organized labour, General Secretary: COSATU;

g. South African Local Government Association (SALGA): Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director: Community Development;

h. Two representatives of the Department of Cooperative Governance i.e. Senior Manager: Fire Services Coordination and Manager Fire Services Coordination.

The FBB is established in terms of Section 2 of the FBSA to perform functions assigned to it in terms of the Act or the regulations contemplated in section 15. Subsection (2) of Section 2 outlines who shall form part of the FBB as outlined above. The FBB is essentially a political forum designed to ensure political oversight of fire services in the country and as such the FBSA does not prescribe the qualifications required for one to form part of the FBB. Since its reconstitution, the FBB has not yet met but preparations are underway for the inaugural meeting.

(2) (a) When will the Fire Brigade Services Act, Act 99 of 1987 be amended and (b) what are the weaknesses the amendment intends to remedy;

REPLY

The Fire Brigade Services Act, 1987 (Act No. 99 of 1987) (FBSA) is not being amended but rather being reviewed to bring it in line with the extended scope of the fire services. This review aims to closely align and harmonise the FBSA with other applicable legislations especially the local government legislations, such as the Municipal Structures, Act, 1998, Municipal Systems Act, 2000, Disaster Management Act, 2002, and more notably the National Veld and Forest Fire Act, 1998 amongst others.

The process of reviewing this legislation is currently underway as part of the departmental Annual Performance Plan, to completed in 2014/2015 and in this financial year, a Discussion Document will be developed by the Department in consultation with key stakeholders in the sector.

Through this review, some fundamental weakness of the FBSA such lack of explicit focus on fire safety and prevention, lack of clarity on the role of both national and provincial governments in supporting the function, etc will be addressed. Essentially the FBSA as it stands now is an old-order legislation which was promulgated in 1987, and the policy process followed then does fit into the new local government dispensation. Against this background, the FBB in 2006 resolved to completely review the FBSA to bring about a new and comprehensive policy framework to inform the new legislation for the function.

3) whether since his reply minimum standards are in place for the (a) training of fire fighters, (b) number of fire fighters for each shift and (c) equipment available to each fire fighter for each shift; if not, (i) why not, in each case, (ii) what is the international best practice in each case and (iii) by which date will minimum standards be enforced; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

a) There are currently no legislated norms and standards regarding the training of firefighters. (i) the Local Government Sector Education Training Authority (LGSETA) in partnership with key stakeholders is currently developing a entry level fire-fighter qualification for registration with the Quality Council for Trade and Occupations (QCTO) and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). (ii) As part of the qualification development process, international benchmarking will also take place before registration of the qualification with SAQA. (iii) the date of enforcement of these standards cannot be determined at this stage.

b) There are currently no legislated norms and standards regarding the number of fire fighters on each shift. (i) There are however South African National Standard (SANS) 10090: Community Protection Against Fire which outlines a system of determining the requirements for operational and fire safety functions of emergency services rendered to communities as well as the recommendations for water supply for fire fighting.

The SANS 10090 s' point of departure is that successful control and extinguishing fires depends on sufficient appliances responding with adequate manpower and arriving within a reasonable time. In terms of this standard, the weight of response to fires is as follows:

1

2

3

4

Risk Category

Minimum number of pumping units

Minimum manning level per appliance

Minimum pumping capacity of each unit (L/min)

A (Central business districts and extensive commercial and industrial areas normally found in cities and large towns (areas where the risk to life and property due to fire

occurrence and spread is likely to be high).

2

5

3850

B ( Limited central business districts,smaller commercial or industrial areas normally associated with small towns and decentralized areas of cities and large towns (areas where the risk to life and property due to fire occurrence and spread is likely to be moderate).

2

4

3850

C (Residential areas of conventional construction).

1

4

2 250

D (Rural areas of limited buildings and remote from urban areas).

D1 (Houses > 30 m apart)

D2 (Houses 10,1 m – 30 m apart)

D3 (Houses 3 m – 10 m apart)

D4 (Houses < 3 m apart)

1

4

2 250

E (Special risk areas. Individual areas requiring a pre-determined attendance over and above the predominant risk category in an area. Includes large shopping/entertainment centres, informal settlements, harbours, hospitals, prisons, large airport

buildings and petrochemical plants).

As determined by individual risk assessment

Note: Arrangements for vehicle fires, grass/bush and special services and the need for specialist vehicles such as aerial appliances and water carriers will be determined by local conditions.

It is important to note that the standard is applicable once a municipality adopts it as its service delivery standard. (ii) There are no discernable single standards for the deployment of firefighters or shift systems in the world. However, there seems to a direct and causal link between the management of fires and related risks and the numbers of firefighters and equipments needed to manage such risks. (iii) the Department, after extensive consultation in the sector, is currently finalising a national fire services framework which will inform key performance areas and enablers to guide municipalities in better organising their capabilities to deal with the fire risks in the respective jurisdictions.

c) There are currently no legislated norms and standards regarding equipment available to each fire fighter for each shift. (i) There is no prescribed list of equipment available for each fire fighter as each municipal area is faced with a unique risk profile which informs the equipment requirements. The risk assessment undertaken to determine the risk profile therefore informs the type and amount of equipment to be placed on a vehicle for use by firefighters. (ii) There are no discernable single standards for the equipment requirements per firefighters in the world. However, there seems to a direct and causal link between the management of fires and related risks and the equipment requirements per firefighters as this is significantly depended on the risk at hand. (iii) it is important to highlight that standards for equipment that are risk based must comply with the quality standards for the country producing such equipments. The date for the introduction of these standards can therefore not be determined as this is an ongoing activity that the Department encourages municipal fire services to comply with during equipment procurement. It is also important to further highlight that most quality standards of foreign countries complies or exceed existing South African standards in this regard.

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO. 1768

1768. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether he gazetted notice of the 33 municipalities that were declared as disaster areas after flooding in January 2012; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2159E

WRITTEN REPLY

The Minister has not gazetted any Notice of the 33 municipalities that were declared as disaster areas after flooding in January 2012 because there was no state of national disaster declared in January 2012.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1755

1755. Mr J H Steenhuisen (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

1) What (a) is the total number of municipalities that have to return the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funding to the National Treasury due to under spending, (b) are the names of these municipalities and (c) what was the value of the funding returned in each case;

2) What steps is the Government taking to remedy the lack of capacity at local government level to spend the MIG funding effectively? NW2146E

ANSWER

1) (a) The number of municipalities that should return the MIG funds to the National Treasury is not as yet determined. The National Treasury is still considering applications for rollovers.

(b) The names of the municipalities that have shown under-expenditure as at the end of June 2012 appear in Table 1 as attached.

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO 1668
1668. Mr J H van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) With reference to the City of Tshwane how many (a) streets are in Mamelodi, Atteridgeville and Soshanguwe, (b) of these streets (i) have been named, (ii) have not been named;

(2)what is the cost of the current name-changing process since it was approved in 2007;

(3) whether this cost includes the 25 new street names that were announced; if not, what is the position in this regard;

(4) whether any further additional costs are envisaged before the conclusion of the name-changing process; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

The response as received from the municipality:

(1):

Township

With Names

With no names

Total

Atteridgeville incl
Saulsville

658

151

809

Soshanguve

600

2200

2800

Mamelodi

1550

190

1740


(2) The city has a budget to replace old and damaged traffic and street names signs per financial year. The renaming of streets does not have a separate budget.

(3) The costs of replacing the renamed streets were treated as part of the normal street signs budget.

(4)No further additional costs are envisaged as the process was within the budgeted amount.

Reply received: October 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO 1592
Mr D C Smiles (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs


Whether any traffic fines were incurred with regard to any of his official vehicles in the (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-1 I 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? NW1920E

REPLY

The Department has not incurred any costs related to traffic fines on the Minister's official vehicle.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1524

Mr GG Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether his department has implemented any measures to ensure that municipal officials meet the minimum requirements and skills to exercise their duties; if not, why not; if so,

(2) whether his department has any authority to take steps against municipal officers found to have been implicated in fraud and corruption; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

N01835E

Reply:

(1)Yes. The Department is currently developing Regulations to implement the Local Government: Municipal Systems Amendment Act, 201 1 (Act No. 7 of 201 1). The Regulations provide competencies required for senior managers to exercise their functions.

(2) No. The employment of officials is done at the sole discretion of municipalities. However, The Department has a responsibility to provide norms and standards on how this is done, and to monitor compliance thereof.

Reply received: July 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO 1523

Mr. GG Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether his department has implemented any measures to (a) deal with and (b) reduce the violent and growing number of service delivery protests; if not, why not; if so, what measures?

Reply:

The Department has embarked on several instruments to deal with issues related to service delivery protests, ranging from the deployment of the Technical Support Units to all the Provinces to provide on-the-spot engagements with municipalities in order to deal with people issues that account for the protests. We have also organized this unit to be more responsive even in dealing with political questions. The second intervention is that of mobilizing communities and government to work closely with each other, through Provincial Summits that are holding. There is also an effort to provide targeted support to municipalities through the establishing of the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA). We also deal with each case of protest or its merit and we have, through this effort, assisted many municipalities.

Reply received: August 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO 1509

Mr T Bonhornme(ANC) to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and

Traditional Affairs:

1.. What number on non-returning councillors (a) needed to be paid gratuity and (b) are still awaiting tax directive from SARS?

2. Whether any of the specified non-returning councillors have not been paid; if so, why?

Reply:

1. (a) 3690 non-returning councillors have been confirmed by the IEC as being eligible for gratuity and (b) 182 submissions are awaiting tax directives from SARS;


2. To date, 2214 payments have been finalised. The remaining 1476 payments are pending due to the following reasons:
(i) 831 submissions did not contain all the requested information (certified copy of identity document; original or certified copy of the April 201 1 payslip);
(ii) 182 submissions are awaiting tax directives from SARS;
(iii) 149 submissions were declined by SARS for various reasons (incorrect tax number supplied; taxpayer to contact SARS; etc. ..)
(iv) 134 submissions need to be resubmitted to SARS;
(v) 59 submissions were cancelled by SARS due to incorrect calculations; and
(vi) 121 payments are in the process of being paid.


Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 1508

Ms M J Segale-Diswai (ANC) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether he has been informed of any damages that remained after the flood disaster in KwaZulu-Natal in 2011; if so,

(2) whether any payments were made as a result of his department's intervention for (a) the flood disaster in 201 1 and (b) damage caused by cyclone lrina in 2012; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?

REPLY:

(1) Yes

The following amounts were paid to the KZN Province for the 201 011 1 disasters:

2011/12

- Human Settlements: R 31 140 000

- Transport: R 29 736 000

- Education: R 17 820 000

Over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework the allocations are as follows:

2012/13

- Human Settlements: R 51 226 883

- Transport: R 60 975 783

- Education: R 12 000 000

-

2013/1 4

- Human Settlements: R 51 900 000

- Transport: R 45 731 837

- Education: R 15 941 189

2014/15

- Transport: R 45 731 837

(2) (b)

Current Disasters:

The department is currently conducting a verification process together with then Officials from the province to assess the actual cost of the damages. Following this process an application for funding will be submitted to Cabinet through National Treasury for approval.

Reply received: August 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO 1457
MR D C Ross (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and

Traditional Affairs:

(1) When was the current Director-General of his department appointed;
(2) Whether the Director-General was appointed in a permanent capacity; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

The Ministry has two Departments namely Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the status with regards to the appointment of Director-Generals is as follows:

(a) Department of Cooperative Governance: The Director-General position is vacant following the resignation of the previous Director-General.
(b) Department of Traditional Affairs: The Director-General was appointed on 01 Sept 2010 and he is appointed on a five year fixed t e n contract.

Reply received: August 2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION NO 1271

Mr J F Smalle (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

(1) How many (a) staff members were transferred from Siyenza Manje to the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (Misa) in his department and (b) of the specified staff members have resigned since the transfer;

(2) what amount did the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) contribute towards Siyenza Manje;

(3) whether the DBSA is financing Misa; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, (a) to what amount, (b) why and (c) what are the further relevant details? NW1470E

Response

(1) (a) 83 staff members have been transferred from Siyenza Manje to MlSA (65 civil engineers, 2 Electrical Engineers, 11 Town Planners and 5 Provincial Programme Managers)
(b) Three (3) staff members have resigned to date.

(2) From 2007 to 201 1 DBSA contributed R403, 622,264 towards Siyenza Manje.

(3) The DBSA is not funding MISA. MlSA is funded through an allocation from the National fiscus.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION: 1251

QUESTION NUMBER: 327/251
PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 4 OF 24 FEBRUARY 2012

Mr R A P Trollip (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(a) What total amounts have been incurred by his Deputy Minister for travel purposes, excluding flights by plane, in each financial year since taking office and (b) what is the breakdown of amounts spent in each specified year on (i) transport by road, (ii) transport by rail and (iii) other specified transport? NW407E

ANSWER:

(a) R116 877.00

(b) 2009/20102010/20112011/2012

( i) R 15 806.03 R70 150 00 R30 921 00

(ii) Not applicable
(iii) Not applicable

N: B. The above-mentioned report excludes the permanently allocated vehicles in terms of the Ministerial Hand Book for Pretoria and Cape Town Offices

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1225

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER OF JUNE 2012

1225. Dr S M van Dyk (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

What amount has his department spent on (a) catering and (b) entertainment (i) in the (aa) 2007-08, (bb) 2008-09, (cc) 2009-10, (dd) 2010-11 and (ee) 2011-12 financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2012? NW1422E

REPLY:

YEAR

CATERING

ENTERTAINMENT

2007-08

R5 823 000

R13 000

2008-09

R7 151 000

R46 000

2009-10

R5 295 000

R32 000

2010-11

R4 535 000

R12 000

2011-12

R4 762 000

R0.00

Since April 2012

R289 921.00

R0.00

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1200

Mr E J Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether his department has financially assisted the Central Karoo District Municipality in the 2011-12 financial year; if so, what (a) amount was allocated to the municipality and (b) criteria were used when the decision was made to assist the municipality;

(2) whether any other municipalities approached his department for financial assistance; if so,

(3) whether his department provided financial assistance to these municipalities; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1397E

REPLY:

(1) No, the Department has not provided any additional financial assistance to the Central Karoo DistrictMunicipality.

(2) No municipality approached the department for financial assistance.

(3) Not applicable.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1195

Mr J H Steenhuisen (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

(1) What is the (a) name of each councilor who is in arrears for municipal charges for periods exceeding 90 days, (b) relevant municipality and (c) amount owed in each case;

(2) what actions does he intend taking to ensure that municipalities uphold the councilor's code of conduct in this regard? NW1392E

Reply:

(1) The Department is currently sourcing information from the annual financial statements of municipalities and it will be submitted once finalised.

(2) The Minister will use MINMEC to monitor compliance with the code of conduct.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1194

1194. Mr J H Steenhuisen (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Whether his department intends to release a report on the Universal Household Access to Basic Services Index in 2012; if not, why not; if so, when will it be released? NW1391E

REPLY:

Yes, CoGTA in collaboration with partners involved will release the UHABS Index report. The report will be available on the departmental website once finalised.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1190

(1) Mr GG BOINAMO (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Whether the department has taken any steps to eradicate corruption amongst municipal officials at local government level; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply:

Yes. The Department has refocused the anti-corruption inspectorate to mobilize the key players such as the National Anti-Corruption Forum and the Special Investigating Unit in fighting corruption.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1122

Mr J H Steenhuisen (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether he has established any minimum standards in accordance with section 22 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000, to regulate funding by municipalities; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether he has been informed of any municipalities that have granted or disbursed funding to political parties in their budgets; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case (a) which municipality, (b) what amounts were (i) granted and (ii) disbursed in each case and (c) which political party was the beneficiary in each case? NW1311E

Reply:

(1) Yes. Section 22 of the Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000, refers to the option the Minister has, to make regulations or guidelines concerning minimum standards for municipalities and minimum standards relating to the funding of the provisions in respect to those public participation activities outlined in Chapter 4, 'Community Participation'. To this effect, the Minister has issued guidelines for provinces and municipalities in the implementation of the Ward Funding Model in Government Gazette No. 32112 of 9 April 2009.

(2) No. The Minister has not been informed of any municipalities that have granted or disbursed funding for political parties in their budgets. The position in this regard is that funding of political parties is regulated by applicable laws governing such in South Africa.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1121

1121. Mr J H Steenhuisen (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether he has established any minimum standards in accordance with section 22 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000, to regulate municipalities' collection of money owed for municipal accounts by councillors; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether he has been informed of any councillors who have been in arrears with their municipal accounts for periods longer than 90 days; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, (a) what (i) is the name of the councillor and (ii) amount is outstanding and (b) for what period has payment been overdue;

(3) whether he has been informed of any municipal councils that have written off debts owed by municipal councillors and officials; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what is the name of each (i) councillor and (ii) official whose debt was written off and (b) in each specified case, (i) which municipal council wrote off the debt, (ii) what amount was written off and (iii) what justification was given for writing off the debt? NW1310E

REPLY

(1) Yes, the minimum standards with regards the code of councillors is contained in the Code of Conduct for Councillors. In terms of the provisions of the Code, a councillor who is in arrears for rates and service charges for a period longer than 3 months is in breach of the Code in terms of item 12A, Schedule 1 of the Code of Conduct for Councillors of the Municipal Systems Act. To deal with the matter, the municipal council may issue a formal warning to the councillor, reprimand the councillor, request the MEC to suspend the councillor or to remove the councillor from office in terms of item 14 of the Code of Conduct.

(2) The Minister is not aware of councillors who have been in arrears with their municipal accounts for periods longer than 90 days.

(3) The Minister is not aware of any municipal council that has written off debts owed by municipal councillors and officials.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 1088

Mr D C Ross (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs: (Mmamashita)

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

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

(3) What (a) floor space was offered and (b) annual rental was tendered (i) by each shortlisted company and (ii) with regard to each shortlisted property? NW1276E

REPLY:

1. (a) (i) Yearly Rentals:

Wheatboard Building = R9, 662 755.80

Nosa Building = R 3,659 804.80

Pencardia 1 and 2 Building= R11, 531 105.00

(ii) Floor space:

The department has not changed the buildings, but has added new buildings as the demand for office space grew. The floor space is indicated hereunder:

(aa & bb) Wheatboard Building = 8933 m²

Nosa Building = 3770 m²

Pencardia 1 and 2 Building= 9000 m²

(b) The table below provides information on dates of occupation and lease periods:

Building

Date occupied

Lease Expiry Period

Comments

Wheatboard Building

1997

30 January 2012

The lease is currently renewed on a month-to-month basis until the new lease for consolidated accommodation is finalised.

Nosa Building

2008

31 March 2012

Pencardia 1 and 2 Building

2009

31 August 2012

2. No tender were invited by CoGTA.

3. N/A

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 965

Mr M Swart (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether his department has reached a conclusion on the division of funds to local authorities from the P-component of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG); if not, when will his department conclude its deliberations; if so, what specified allocations have been decided on for each municipality? NW1141E

REPLY:

Yes, Parliament has concluded deliberations on the 2012 Division of Revenue Bill and related frameworks.

Accordingly, the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) framework states that "The P-component of the MIG formula (described in part 5 of Annexure W1 to the Division of Revenue Bill), which amounts to 15 per cent of the MIG must be used for municipal sports facilities only".

Each qualifying municipality's P-component is as reflected in the Table attached.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 734

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 8 OF 16 MARCH 2012

Mr D C Ross (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether any officials from (a) his department and (b) any entities reporting to him were on an official visit to Bloemfontein in (i) December 2011 and (ii) January 2012; if so, in each case, what (aa) is the (aaa) name and (bbb) position of the specified official, (bb) was the (aaa) purpose and (bbb) date of such visit and (cc) was the cost of (aaa) transport, (bbb) accommodation and (ccc) other expenses? NW902E

ANSWER:

(a) Yes, officials from the department were in Bloemfontein in December 2011 and January 2012.

(b) The Department is not aware of whether officials from its entities were in Bloemfontein for official purposes during the requested period.

The names, positions, dates and purpose of the visits are listed below. Accommodation and general expenses were in line with the prescripts of the PFMA.

(aa) aaa

(aa) bbb

(bb) aaa

(bb) bbb

Ms A Maroka

Member of National House of Traditional Leaders (NHTL)

1.Attending sitting

2.Attending Exco & Amakhosi Graduation

3. Attending Executive Meeting.

4. Meeting with the Free State House & training with Justice

11-14 Dec 2011

27-28 Jan 2012

4-7 Dec 2011

08-12 Jan 2012

Seitisho Monnapule

Programme Manager

Returning to office base

7-9 Dec 2011

25-27 Jan 2012.

30th Jan-3rd Feb 2012

Mr M Mafereka

Commissioner of CTDL

Planning session for the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims

2nd Dec 2012

Ms C More

Minister's PA

Official

6 -9 Jan 2012

Mr Y Carrim

Deputy Minister

Official

7-9 Jan 2012

Ms A van Schoor

Manager

Free State MIG quarterly review

25-26 Jan 2012

Ms K Sirayi

Manager

Attending the LED Summit

2 Dec 2011

Ms M Macheli

Project Manager

TSU meeting COO

05-06 Dec 2011

Mr B Chuma

Senior Manager

To attend working session to streamline reporting

19 Dec 2011

Mr S Baloyi

Manager

To attend working session to streamline reporting

19 Dec 2011

Mr M Tau

Senior Manager

Attend the launch of the NDMC DRM bursary & leadership project

19-20 Jan 2012

Mr L Maluleke

VIP Protector

Official

6-9 Jan 2012

Mr C Nkuna

VIP Protector

Official

5-9 Jan 2012

Mr A Peterson

Member of NKC

Meeting with chairperson of NKC

19-20 Jan 2012

G Seatlholo

Attending Moroka day

9-11 Dec 2011

M Moleleki

Former Commissioner Trads

To proof read final document of the affidavit on the Nephawe case review

11-12 Dec 2011

Mr B Nkontwana

Advisor

Attend CRATA meeting inBloemfontein

14 Dec 2011

Mr MR Baloyi

Minister

Official

6-9 Jan 2012

Ms F Rassool

Manager

Attend MIG bi-monthly and expenditure meeting

24-27 Jan 2012

Mr K Mookeng

Manager

DoRA workshop

19 Jan 2012

Prof. MC Mwaila

Director-General

Official

23 Jan 2012

Mr M Ndimande

Senior Manager

DoRA workshop

18-19 Jan 2012

Mr D Madurai

Executive Manager

Short course at University of Free State (UFS) on venerability & Disaster Risk Reduction

24 Jan -04 Feb 2012

Mr D Moeketsi

VIP Protector

Render security services and chauffeur to DM

7-9 Jan 2012

Mr A Matotoka

VIP Protector

official Render security services and chauffeur to DM

7-9 Jan 2012

Dr WM Makgalanchenche

Secretary National House of Traditional Leaders (NHTL)

Meeting with Free State House of Traditional Leaders

6-9 Jan 2012

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 670

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 7 OF 9 MARCH 2012

Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:


Whether there are any biogas facilities that are fully functional at local government level; if not, (a) how many biogas facilities are (i) partially functional and (ii) idle and (b) what are the reasons for their current state; if so, what are the relevant details? NW830E

REPLY:

No. The Department is not aware of any biogas facility under the management of a municipality.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 651

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 76 OF 2 MARCH 2012

Mr D A Kganare (Cope) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether his department is providing support to municipalities to fight institutionalised corruption; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in (a) which municipalities and (b) when was such support provided;

(2) whether such support has brought about changes in the (a) supply chain management, (b) awarding of tenders, (c) fruitless and wasteful expenditure and (iv) irregular expenditure in each municipality; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details, in each case? NW810E

ANSWER:

(1) (a)-(b) Yes, the department has a number of interventions to support municipalities to fight institutionalised corruption. These include training on Ethics Management since 2008; and supporting the development of Fraud Prevention Plans during 2010 – 2011. The details are provided below.

Ethics Management in Local Government

Training conducted since 2008

Province

Municipality

No. of participants

Gauteng

Merafong

40

West Rand

20

Metsweding

17

Kungwini

17

Free State

Fezile Dabi

15

Kwazulu-Natal

Big Five False Bay

27

Mthonjaneni

16

Limpopo

Polokwane

14

Vhembe

34

Waterberg

26

Mpumalanga

Chief Albert Luthuli

9

Mbombela

14

Dr J S Moroka

17

Emalahleni

16

Pixley ka Seme

17

Delmas

23

Mkhondo

15

Thembisile

23

Northern Cape

Siyanda

15

Pixley ka Seme

8

Frances Baard

17

Sol Plaatje

13

Namakwa

14

Richtersveld

8

John Taolo Gaetsewe

24

Phokwane

10

Emthanjeni

14

North West

Dr R S Mompati

20

Western Cape

Beaufort West

26

Saldanha Bay

18

Central Karoo

25

Mossel Bay

28

TOTAL

681

Implementation of Fraud Prevention Plans and Anti-Corruption Strategies

Province

Municipality

No. of Officials and Councillors trained

Eastern Cape 4

O.R. Tambo

18

Chris Hani

28

Amathole

23

Ukahlamba

24

93

Northern Cape 3

Frances Baard

13

Namakwa

18

Siyanda

12

43

North West 4

Ngaka Modiri Molema

24

Dr. Kenneth Kaunda

18

Dr Ruth Mompati

21

Bojanala

36

99

Gauteng 3

Metsweding

22

West Rand

16

Sedibeng

15

53

Free State 4

Lejweleputswa

14

Thabo Mofutsanyane

15

Fezile Dabi

15

Motheo Xhariep

21

65

Western Cape 10

Witzenburg – Ceres

18

Mossel Bay

31

Beaufort West

16

Breede Valley

25

Central Karoo

19

Langeberg

20

Bergrivier

35

Knysna

13

Eden

13

Kannaland

35

225

Limpopo 3

Greater Tzaneen

19

Waterberg

23

Greater Sekhukhune

25

Vhembe

17

84

Mpumalanga 1

Ehlanzeni

27

(2) (a)-(b) Yes, there has been steady improvement in the management of municipal finances. Details of such progress can be obtained by analysing reports of the Auditor-General.

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTION NUMBER. 596
PUBLSHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 7 OF 9 MARCH 2012
Mr G G Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) What (a) steps has he taken to eradicate fraud in his department and (b) has been the results;

(2) whether, subsequent to an investigation, any officials have (a) been (i) arrested, (ii) tried and (iii) convicted and (b) returned the stolen monies; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details, in each case? NW762E

ANSWER:

1. The Department has a Whistle Blowing and Anti Corruption policy and the Fraud Prevention Plan in place and it is being implemented. Fraud risks are identified and monitored. Awareness is also being raised to all employees to encourage them to report any fraud and corruption within the Department

2. Subsequent to the investigation of accepting a bribe from a service provider the employee was dismissed.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 595

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 7 OF 9 MARCH 2012

Mr G G Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether he has found that his department's turnaround strategy has been successful; if not, why not; if so, how was this conclusion reached? NW761E

ANSWER:

The Local Government Turnaround Strategy is on course. The broad aims of the Strategy continue to guide the effectiveness of the extended Cooperative Governance establishment consisting of the national Department of Cooperative Governance, the Provincial Governments, as well as all the municipalities, notably in the drive to consolidate performance activities with a view to restore confidence between the people and Government and to achieve this through the creation and sustenance of a responsive, efficient, effective and developmental Local Government System.

It should be noted, as we consider this question and the answer, that the Local Government Turnaround Strategy remains a guide up to the year 2014, hence the need for continuous assessment.

QUESTION NUMBER: 594

Mr G G Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Whether his department has put a performance monitoring and evaluation system in place for traditional leaders; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW760E

ANSWER:

The Department has considered establishing a performance monitoring and evaluation system for the institutions of traditional rule as it is a priority issue for the Portfolio, and this will be finalised at the Strategic Planning Session to be held soon.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 567

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 7 OF 9 MARCH 2012

Mrs M Wenger (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether his department has an internal audit unit; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many staff members are employed in the unit and (b) what (i) is the structure and (ii) are the functions of the unit;

(2) whether the audit committee considers the internal audit reports; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether he holds meetings to discuss (a) the internal reports and (b) their findings with the audit unit; if not, why not, in each case; if so, (i) on what dates since 1 April 2010 has each specified meeting taken place and (ii) what are the further relevant details? NW732E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, the Department has a functional Internal Audit Unit.

(a) The unit has five staff members.

(b) (i) The structure consists of six posts(one position is vacant).

(ii) The primary function of the Audit Unit is to conduct internal audits and to ensure that the systems of internal controls are adequate and effective.

(2) Yes, the Audit Committee considers the internal audit reports. The Audit Committee then recommends corrective actions for implementation by the department's management.

(3) No. The Minister considers issues raised by both the internal audit unit and the audit committee through the management structures established in the Department.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 567

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 7 OF 9 MARCH 2012

Mrs M Wenger (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether his department has an internal audit unit; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many staff members are employed in the unit and (b) what (i) is the structure and (ii) are the functions of the unit;

(2) whether the audit committee considers the internal audit reports; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether he holds meetings to discuss (a) the internal reports and (b) their findings with the audit unit; if not, why not, in each case; if so, (i) on what dates since 1 April 2010 has each specified meeting taken place and (ii) what are the further relevant details? NW732E

ANSWER:

(1) Yes, the Department has a functional Internal Audit Unit.

(a) Five.

(b) (i) The structure consists of six posts.

(ii) The primary function of the Audit Unit is to conduct internal audits and ensure that the systems of internal controls are adequate and effective.

(2) Yes, the Internal Audit Unit presents reports to the Audit Committee for discussion. The Audit Committee will then further recommend corrective actions for implementation by the department's management.

(3) As the Minister was not yet with the Department during the period stated, we cannot provide the information requested.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 548

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 7 OF 9 MARCH 2012

Mr M Swart (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether (a) he, (b) the Deputy Minister and (c) any senior officials of his department have visited New Zealand during the 2011 Rugby World Cup Tournament; if so, what was the (i)(aa) name, (bb) rank and (cc) position or designation of each specified person that accompanied (aaa) him, (bbb) the Deputy Minister and (ccc) each specified senior official and (ii)(aa) nature and (bb) official reason for the visit;

(2) what (a) total amount was spent on the trip and (b) is the (i) description and (ii) detailed breakdown of the amounts that were spent on (aa) accommodation, (bb) travel and (cc) subsistence costs? NW707E

REPLY

(1) No.

(2) Not applicable. Neither the Minister, Deputy Minister nor official from the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs visited New Zealand during the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 532

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 6 OF 2 MARCH 2012

Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether municipalities have taken any steps with regard to the reintegration of refugees back into society following the xenophobic violence; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what role does the municipality play in this regard? NW684E

Reply:

The department through the project funded by European Union has been engaging six (6) provinces that were affected by the xenophobic attacks in 2008 in order to ensure that municipalities start the process of reintegration of foreign Nationals into communities.

The project is targeting the following provinces:

· Western Cape

· Limpopo

· Gauteng

· Mpumalanga

· KwaZulu- Natal and

· Eastern Cape.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 520

PQ 520 Mr N Singh (IFP) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether he has received a copy of the Manase Report commissioned by the department of local government of KwaZulu-Natal with regard to alleged (a) administrative and (b) financial irregularities within the eThekweni Municipality; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case;

(2) whether the report will be tabled in the National Assembly; if not, why not; if so, when;

(3) whether the report indicates that value was received for the funds that have been expended; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW671E

Reply:

(1) No. The Minister awaits the final report from the MEC.

(2) N/A

(3) N/A

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 480

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 6 OF 2 MARCH 2012

Mr T D Harris (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether he met with the internal audit committee in the (a) 2010-2011 and (b) 2011-2012 financial years; if not, why not; if so, (i) on which dates did they meet and (ii) what are the further relevant details. NW 629E

ANSWER:

The Minister assumed Office as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs after so appointed on the 24th of October 2011.

For the period 2010/2011, the information is thus not available as he was not yet with the Department. As the Minister joined the Department almost at the end of the 2011/2012 financial year, he only had two meetings with the Chairperson of the Audit Committee at the beginning of the current financial year.

At those two meetings, which happened on 21st May and 24th May, the Minister and the Chairperson agreed to meet once per quarter.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 431

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 6 OF 2 MARCH 2012

Mr A Watson (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether any progress has been made with regard to the investigations into the grievances of the Moutse community on the shift in the provincial boundary between Mpumalanga and Limpopo; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether investigations included the residents of Groblersdal; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW575E

ANSWER:

(1) Yes, on the 23rd of August 2011, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa dismissed the Moutse Demarcation Forum's application which challenged the constitutionality of part of the Constitution Twelfth Amendment Act, 2005 and the Cross-Boundary Municipalities Laws Repeal and Related Matters Act, 2005 (Act No. 23 of 2005) to the extent that they authorise the relocation of the areas known as Moutse 1 and Moutse 3 from the Province of Mpumalanga into the Limpopo Province.

(2) Yes, Moutse 3 is located within the Greater Groblersdal local municipality.

Here are the relevant tables: http://www.pmg.org.za/files/questions/RNW431-120529.pdf

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 412

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER OF 2 MARCH 2012

412. MMr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether the investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into 25 municipalities in the North West has been completed; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what were the findings of the investigation, (b) how much money has been recovered and (c) how many cases (i) have been prosecuted and (ii) are still pending;

(2) whether the findings will be made public; if not, why not; if so, when? NW552E

ANSWER:

(1) No. The SIU investigation is ongoing. The investigations are progressing well, and a number of matters have already been finalised at all 8 prioritised municipalities.

(2) The investigation is scheduled to end in 2013 and the report will be made available and published.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 391

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER OF 2 MARCH 2012

391. Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether the Ekurhuleni municipality has contracted a company to supply Tsakane informal settlement with proper toilets; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) which company has been contracted, (b) when was the company contracted and (c) what is the value of the tender;

(2) whether the job has been completed; if not, (a) why not and (b) how many residents are without proper sanitation as a result of the contractors not completing the job on time; if so, what are the relevant details? NW382E

ANSWER:

Yes.

1. Two companies were appointed one after the other to supply sanitation to the Tsakane informal settlement.

a) Bula Mahlo and JTI Civils

b) Bula Mahlo was appointed on 20th September 2006 and JTI Civils on the 28th of January 2008. The timelines were as follows: Bula Mahlo: 20 Weeks (30 January 2006 to 30 May 2006) and JTI Civils: 14 Months (14 February 2008 to 30 April 2009) (There was then a delay of over 12 months before electricity for the sewer pump station was supplied)

c) The total value of both tenders was R10 929 095.51. (Actual amounts paid were Bula Mahlo: R6 306 605.50 (Excl. VAT) and JTI Civils: R12 609 315.13 (Excl VAT)).

2. No, the job has not been completed.

a) The first contractor was appointed to provide VIP toilets. The second contractor was later appointed to construct brick toilet structures and install water and sewer reticulation but did not perform according to stipulated timeframes.

b) Since the project has not been completed the targeted beneficiaries in Tsakane have been affected. A total of 6 490 households were assisted. A contractor has now been appointed to repair all the toilets. In the interim, chemical toilets have been arranged for the households without toilets.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 388

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER OF JUNE 2012

(1) Mr R A P Trollip (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

(1) In respect of each financial year since taking office, with regard to each occasion on which (a) he and (b) his Deputy Minister were accommodated in a hotel or guesthouse (i) who formed part of their delegation and (ii) what role did each of these persons play;

(2) in each case, (a) where were these persons accommodated and (b) what is the (i) name of the establishment, (ii) star rating, (iii) city location, (iv)(aa) duration and (bb) purpose of their stay, (v) reason for choosing this establishment, (vi) total cost of the accommodation and (vii) breakdown of the cost of the accommodation? NW475E

Reply:

Both the Minister and the Deputy Minister are duty bound to be at different places accompanied by their support staff.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 327

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 4 OF 24 FEBRUARY 2012

Mr R A P Trollip (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and

Traditional Affairs:


(a) What the total amounts have been incurred by his Deputy Minister for travel purposes, excluding flights by plane, in each financial year since taking office and


(b) What is the breakdown of amounts spent in each specified year on (i) transport by road, (ii) transport by rail and (iii) other specified transport? NW407E


ANSWER:


For the Deputy Minister to travel from one point to another in executing his duties, he is entitled to tools of trade to support him. The actual amounts differ from instance to instance. At the end of each financial year, we accordingly provide details as part of the Annual Report.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 316

Mr J R B Lorimer (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(a) What measures will he take in light of the Public Protector's findings (details furnished) to recover the monies misspent by the former minister, (b) who will he appoint to recover these funds and (c) what is the time frame for the recovery of the money? NW396E

ANSWER:

The Minister has assigned his Legal Advisor to further establish facts for the implementation of the Public Protector's findings and he will pronounce on the matter before the end of June 2012.

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTIONS 180 FOR WRITTEN REPLY
FRIDAY, 17 FEBRUARY 2012
180. Mr P van Dalen (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:


(1) What was the annual cost of copper cable theft from (a) metropolitan municipalities (metros) and (b) municipalities in each province (i) in the (aa) 2006-07, (bb) 2007-08, (cc) 2008-09, (dd) 2009-10, (ee) 2010-11 financial years and (ii) during the period 1 April 201 1 up to the latest specified date for which information is available with regard to (aa) loss, (bb) replacement costs and (cc) increased security measures;

(2) whether the (a) protection of copper cables and (b) action to combat theft thereof is outsourced; if not, why not, in each case; if so, (i) why are these functions outsourced and (ii) what are the names of the companies that have been contracted;

(3) whether the outsourcing of these services had a reducing impact on the number of reported thefts; if so, what are the relevant details; if not, why not;

(4) whether service providers have been held responsible for their nonperformance; if not, why not; if so, what steps were taken against the specified companies;

(5) whether he has been informed of any successful initiatives in this regard at metros or municipalities; if so, which metros and municipalities have duplicated the specified initiatives?

NW198E


REPLY:

The Department is not monitoring the theft of copper cables, as such, the information below was sourced from the Department of Energy.

  • "DOE has prepared a Cab Memo in connection with cable theft on non ferrous metals (copper and aluminum) for the approval of preventative measures by the Cabinet.
  • The SAPS: crime operations are in a process of interpreting the Second Hand Goods Act that has been drafted in 2009. One of the objectives is to also curb the trade in copper and aluminum cable which has massive consequences to economic losses i.e. where cables are part of an electricity or communications system.
  • Currently to be in possession of burnt copper is not a criminal offence, but they are in the process of making it an offence if no explanation is given.
  • In terms of section 45 of the Second Hand Goods Act, 2009 (Act No.6 of 2009) the 10th of December 2011 was granted as the date on which the definition o "controlled metal"; section 16 to 20; 22(1); 25(4) (b); 32(1) (I); 32(1) (0); 32(2); 32(3) and schedule 2 of the said Act came into operation.
  • The maximum period of imprisonment provided for in Schedule 3 to the Act, in respect of sections 22 (1) and 25(4) of the Act came into operation on the 16 of January 2012.

Most of the information regarding the theft of copper and aluminium can be found at

Police Department and you can contact Major General: PC Jacobs (012-3937963) or

Brigadier: JA van der Walt (012-3937231) [email protected]."

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 168

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 2 OF 17 FEBRUARY 2012

Mr I M Ollis (DA) to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

What amount (a) was claimed by and (b) paid to (i) him and (ii) his Deputy Minister for subsistence and travel in each month in the 2010/11 financial year? NW 184E

ANSWER:

(a) The Minister and the Deputy Minister do not claim domestic subsistence and travel (S&T).

(b) The claim for S&T is only made for international travel. The total moneys claimed for year ending March 2011 differ from trip to trip, informed by such factors as:-

§ The duration of the trips; and

§ The currency differences.

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 68
PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012
Ms M R Shinn (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:


(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 2010-1 1 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 printer decided upon and (c) on what date did the specified printer 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 printer, (d) what action was taken and (e) what were the costs?

NW75E

REPLY:

(1) (a) Copies of the Annual Reports were produced as follows by the Departments and the Entities:

(ii) Ministry:

The Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(b) Number of copies printed: 1200

(c) (i) Total cost: R358 067.39

(ii) Individual cost: R298.38

This annual report included both the Department of Cooperative Governance and the Department of Traditional Affairs.

South African Local Government Association:

(b) Number of copies printed: 2070

(c) (i) Total cost: R202 236.00

(ii) Individual cost:

  • 70 copies of Annual Reports and CDs for VIPs - R221.49 per set.
  • 2000 copies at R93.37 per copy.

Municipal Demarcation Board:

(b) Number of copies printed: 300

(c) (i) Total cost: R115 212.67

(ii) Individual cost: R384.04

South African Cities Network:

(b) The SACN did not commission the printing of the 2010/2011 Annual Report, as the Board did not approve the report.

(2) (a) The following response provides the name of the company that printed the Annual Report for each of the organisations, (b) how the specified printer was identified, and (c) the date that the printer delivered the Annual Report:

Department of Cooperative Governance:

(a) Black Moon Design and Advertising (Pty) Ltd.

(b) Service providers were sourced from the database and were invited to submit formal quotations. All quotations were evaluated according to the 80-20 procurement system as prescribed by the Preferential Procurement Policy framework Act of 5 2000. The highest scorer in terms of points was recommended to render the service. A letter of acceptance was issued to the service provider. The service provider confirmed and accepted the offer thereafter the order was issued.

(c) 16 and 17 September 201 1.

Department of Traditional Affairs:


South African Local Government Association:

(a) Shereno Printers.

(b) The service provider was appointed after following a tender process.

(c)The first batch was delivered on 31 August 201 1, and the second batch was delivered on 26 September 201 1.

Municipal Demarcation Board:

(a) Impact Communication.

(b) The names of potential service providers were extracted from the supplier database, where after a specification was sent to the suppliers requesting quotations. Four quotations were received, and the selection criteria of Price and Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (80120) were used to evaluate the quotations.

(c) The Annual Reports were delivered on 28 September 201 1.

South African Cities Network:

Not applicable.

(3) (i) The Departments:

Department of Traditional Affairs:

Department of Cooperative Governance:

All copies were satisfactory without defects. Copies of reports were distributed according to the distribution list provided by National Treasury and to all stakeholders.

(ii) The Entities:

Both the South African Local Government Association and the Municipal Demarcation Board have reported that they were satisfied with the quality of the reports.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER 64

Mr R A P Trollip (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

What amount has been budgeted for each province for remuneration of traditional leaders, including (a) chiefs, (b) headmen and (c) kings in the (i) 2008-2009, (ii) 2009-2010 and (iii) 2010-11 financial years in each province?

REPLY

1) (a), (b), (c) (i). There are 8239 recognised traditional leaders by the state.

No.

Province

Senior Traditional Leaders

Headmen / Women

Kings

1

Eastern Cape

215

1193

4

2

Northern Cape

8

25

0

3

Limpopo

183

2118

2 (Court interdict)

4

Mpumalanga

58

522

2

5

Gauteng

2

14

0

6

KwaZulu Natal

296

3372

1

7

North West

54

59

0

8

Free State

13

96

2

Total

829

7399

11

2) There are 6 151 remunerated traditional leaders.

No.

Province

Senior Traditional Leaders

Headmen / Women

Kings

1

Eastern Cape

215

1193

4

2

Northern Cape

8

25

0

3

Limpopo

183

2118

2 (Court interdict)

4

Mpumalanga

58

522

2

5

Gauteng

2

14

0

6

KwaZulu Natal

296

1284-

1

7

North West

54

59

0

8

Free State

13

96

2

Total

829

5 311

11

3. The recognition of traditional leaders is the competence of the province except as it relates to Kings that are recognized by the President. All remuneration of traditional leaders is done by provinces and the scales differ from one area to another. They from R71 000 up to R883161 per annum. The allowances vary from province to province.

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTION NUMBER 63

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012

Mr R A P Trollip (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) How many traditional leaders including (a) chiefs, (b) headmen and (c) kings are (i) recognised and (ii) remunerated by state in each province;

(2) What amount was paid to each (a) senior traditional leader, (b) headmen and (c) king who are recognised by his department towards (i) salaries, (ii) allowances and (iii) other benefits in the (aa) 2008-2009, (bb) 2009-2010 and (cc) 2010-11 financial years in each province?

REPLY

(a), (b), (c) (i). There are 8239 recognised traditional leaders by the state.

No.

Province

Senior Traditional Leaders

Headmen / Women

Kings

1

Eastern Cape

215

1193

4

2

Northern Cape

8

25

0

3

Limpopo

183

2118

2 (Court interdict)

4

Mpumalanga

58

522

2

5

Gauteng

2

14

0

6

KwaZulu Natal

296

3372

1

7

North West

54

59

0

8

Free State

13

96

2

Total

829

7399

11

1 . (ii) There are 6 151 remunerated traditional leaders.

No.

Province

Senior Traditional Leaders

Headmen / Women

Kings

1

Eastern Cape

215

1193

4

2

Northern Cape

8

25

0

3

Limpopo

183

2118

2 (Court interdict)

4

Mpumalanga

58

522

2

5

Gauteng

2

14

0

6

KwaZulu Natal

296

1284-

1

7

North West

54

59

0

8

Free State

13

96

2

Total

829

5 311

11

2. The recognition of traditional leaders is the competence of the province except as it relates to Kings that are recognized by the President. All remuneration of traditional leaders is done by provinces and the scales differ from one area to another, especially for headmen and headwomen because there is still some work being done in finalising the tools of trade and remuneration of the applicable situation.

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 62

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012

Ms A M Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) (a) What is the current situation regarding the instruction that all 278 municipalities must establish municipal public account committees (MPACs) by no later than 30 November 2011 and (b) what mechanisms have been put in place to ensure that the deadline is met;

(2) whether all municipalities have established such an MPAC; if not, which municipalities have not yet done so; if so, in each case, (a) on which date was it established, (b) what is the (i) membership composition and (ii) party affiliation of the chairperson and (c) how many meetings have been held since the date it was established up to 30 September 2011? NW69E

ANSWER:

1(a) The current status of MPAC establishment as per information supplied by provinces, as of 15 February 2012, is 217 (78%) out of the 278 municipalities.

1(b) The mechanism put in place to ensure that the deadline is met is that the Provincial COGTA departments have been supporting municipalities to establish MPACs through clarifying what the guidelines entail, conducting workshops at a provincial, district or local municipal level depending on provincial peculiarities and circumstances.

2 Not all municipalities have established MPACs. The table attached indicate municipalities that have not established MPACs. Responses to questions 2(a) to 2(c) are captured in the table below (based on available information at the time information was requested):

Reply received: March 2012

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NUMBER:58

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012

Mr I O Davidson (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether (a) his department and (b) any entity reporting to him was approached by a certain political organisation (name furnished) to contribute to its 66th birthday celebrations; if so, in each case, (i) which entities and (ii) what was the (aa) nature and (bb) value of the contribution that was requested;

(2) whether (a) his department and (b) any of the specified entities reporting to him agreed to the request; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, (i) who approved the request, (ii) what was the justification for agreeing to the request and (iii) from which budget was the contribution paid;

(3) whether (a) his department and (b) any of the specified entities reporting to him made financial contributions to the said political organisation without being approached for such financial contributions; if so, in each case, (i) what amount was contributed, (ii) from which budget, (iii) who made the decision to provide the specified funds to the said political organisation and (iv) how was this (aa) decision and (bb) amount justified;

(4) whether (a) his department and (b) any of the entities reporting to him relied on any (i) statutory and (ii) policy provisions in (aa) agreeing and (bb) making such contribution; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, what are the relevant details?NW65E

ANSWER:

(1) (a) No.

(b) No.

(2) (a) No.

(b) No.

(3) (a) No.

(b) No.

(4) (a) No.

(b) No.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER:54

Mr D J Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(a) At how many (i) international and (ii) domestic hotels/guest houses were (aa) he and (bb) his Deputy Minister accommodated during the period 1 April 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) what (i) was the (aa) name, (bb) star rating and (cc) city location of each specified establishment, (ii) was the (aa) duration and (bb) purpose of the stay in each case and (iii)(aa) was the total cost of the accommodation and (bb) is the breakdown of the accommodation cost in each case? NW60E

REPLY

(a) (i) 11

(ii) 185

(aa) International (6) Domestic (123)

(bb) International (5) Domestic (62)

This information covers the period April 2010 to September 2011.

(b) The Department is satisfied that the accommodation provided by location and cost is within the acceptable standards to provide logistical support befitting of a Minister and Deputy Minister.

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTION NUMBER:50

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012

MrJ R B Lorimer(DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

What were the (a) cost, (b) model and (c) make of each mayoral car that was procured in each municipality since 18 May 2011? NW56E

ANSWER:

The information on mayoral vehicles is available on records in Provinces and may be made available for oversight but managed closely that such disclosures do not compromise the personal security of the mayors concerned.

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTION NUMBER:49

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012

Mr J R B Lorimer (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

What (a) is the annual salary and (b) was the performance bonus of each municipal manager in the 2010-11 financial year? NW55E

ANSWER:

The information on the annual salaries and bonuses of applicable municipal managers are subject to recruitment negotiations with different considerations from municipality to municipality.

All interested persons may get such detailed access other than through us parading such personal information against the names of those municipal managers, as this may compromise the physical and emotional security of the affected municipal managers.

Reply received: May 2012

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NO: 31

Mrs P C Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

Whether any other persons have driven (a) his and (b) his Deputy Minister's official blue light fitted vehicles; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, in respect of the (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 financial years, (aa) what is each specified person's (aaa) name and (bbb) designation, (bb) which vehicle and (cc) why? NW35E

REPLY

Officials who are authorized to drive official vehicles for the Minister or Deputy Minister are the designated drivers/protectors. If there is information to the contrary the Minister will appreciate such information being availed to him.

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 22

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012

Mrs M Wenger (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether he has been informed that the towns of eMalahleni, Pola and Ogies have been left without a reliable constant water supply since 7 September 2011, forcing farmers to purchase water for livestock; if so, what (a) was the cause of the disruption, (b) remedial action has been taken, (c) is the long-term solution to ensure an uninterrupted supply of water and (d) are the further relevant details; if not,

(2) whether he intends investigating the matter; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW26E

ANSWER:

(1) No, the department was not informed of the problem. Upon receipt of the parliamentary question, the department engaged the Nkangala District Municipality, via the Mpumalanga Provincial Department, who promptly furnished the department with the necessary information.

(a) Rand Water is currently busy upgrading water infrastructure in Emalahleni Municipality and this is linked to electricity outages, leaks on the bulk supply lines and distribution network, storage facility, and theft and vandalism.

(b) Remedial actions taken include:

(i) the appointment of Rand Water to address the upgrading and refurbishment of the Witbank Water Purification Plant, pump station and major leaks on the bulk water supply lines;

(ii) the appointment of a security company to safeguard all strategic points;

(iii) the partly functional telemetry system which reduces the manual monitoring and operation of pump stations and reservoirs;

(iv) the re-establishment of a technical task team to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the upgrading and refurbishment work;

(v) information via the local media and radio stations to the community regarding the continuous water interruptions due to the upgrade and refurbishment work; and

(vi) training of Process Controllers in order to improve water quality and quantity.

(c) The plant capacity was already extended during 2008 with 35 Ml/day by adding a clarifier and four new filter beds. The additional infrastructure increased the total treatment capacity from 75 Ml/day to 105 Ml/day. The additional 16 Ml of purified water brings to total to 121 Ml/day. The upgrading and refurbishment work mentioned in (1) (a) & (b) above will ensure uninterrupted water supply.

(d) Nkangala District Municipality is funding and implementing the upgrade and refurbishment work. The technical task team comprises representatives from Nkangala DM, Emalahleni LM, Mpumalanga Provincial Government, Rand Water and Department of Water Affairs.

(2) No. The matter is being dealt with by the Nkangala DM and monitored and evaluated by the task team.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 21 (3412)

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012

Mr M Swart (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

What steps has he taken to (a) clarify the responsibility for the payment of municipal rates and taxes in traditional land tenure areas and (b) resolve the perceived problems with regard to the balance of power between the Government and traditional leaders? NW4097E

REPLY

(a) The payment of municipal property rates is regulated in terms of the Municipal Property Rates Act, 2004. In terms of the Municipal Property Rates Act only land tenure right registered can be made in the name of a person or granted to a person in terms of legislation (this is legislation that regulates land tenure issues) is subject to property rates.

The Act is in the process of being amended and will, inter alia, make provision for a municipality not to be obliged to levy a rate on property that is subject to a land tenure right.

(b) The Constitution and legislation dealing with traditional leadership matters provides a framework for collaboration between government and traditional leaders. There is no disjuncture between government and traditional leaders.

Reply received: March 2012

QUESTION NUMBER:15

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012

Mr J R B Lorimer (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) Whether (a) Farm Hulley's Hill 338, (b) Farm Mona 659, (c) Farm Adelaide 339 and (d) Portion 2 of Farm Biggar 664 have been purchased by the (i) Umjindi Municipality or (ii) Mpumalanga provincial government; if so, in each case, (aa) for what reason, (bb) at what price and (cc) who was the seller;

(2) whether the ownership of any of the specified pieces of land has changed in the (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 financial years; if so, in each case, at what price;

(3) whether the contract of sale of the specified pieces of land included any upgrading of the land; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, in each case, what are the (a) costs and (b) further relevant details;

(4) whether, with regard to each specified piece of land, the person or entity from which the land was bought had previously sold land to the (a) Mpumalanga provincial government or (b) municipalities in Mpumalanga; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?NW17E

ANSWER:

The following response is based on an input provided by the Umjindi Local Municipality:

(1) Yes.

The Department of Human Settlements purchased the farms for housing purposes at a cost of R7 million from Sihlangu Semnikati Trading CC.

(2) Sihlangu Semnikati Trading CC bought the farms from QRM Investments during January 2011. Prior to this, QRM Investments was the owner of all the farms for a period of 4 – 5 years.

(3) The contract of sale did not include any upgrading of the land. A condition of the Deed of Sale is that the township establishment process is R3 480,00 per stand. This will be paid by the Province.

(4) Refer to response 2 above.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION NUMBER: 06

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 1 OF 9 FEBRUARY 2012

Dr C P Mulder (FF Plus) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) What process is followed when a complaint is submitted to the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities;

(2) whether the chairperson of the commission can take a decision on a complaint without consulting the members of the commission; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether the commission conducted a hearing in the case where three Afrikaans-medium schools in Fochville were forced by the Department of Basic Education to enrol English-speaking children; if not, why not; if so, (a) when and (b) which commissioners attended the hearing;

(4) whether any commissioner of the commission was apprised before the chairperson of the commission issued a media statement on the Fochville situation; if not, why not; if so, which commissioner was involved? NW7E

ANSWER:

1. The process follows several forms, one of which is to submit a complaint and then a form is sent to the complainant to fill. The CRL Commission may also identify a complaint through the media and may act upon it if it is of public interest.

2. The Chairperson of the Commission can take a decision without consulting Commissioners, especially if the Chairperson is of the view that most, if not all, would be in agreement. In addition, Plenary did give the Chairperson the mandate to act on behalf of Plenary, as long as that action will be reported to Plenary in due course. Plenary cannot always be called when urgent issues have to be acted upon with the urgency they deserve. This is done in fulfilment of fiduciary duties of the incumbents. This is in keeping with the intention of the Constitution of the country in terms of promoting equality and fairness, especially when righting wrongs of the past.

3. The CRL Commission received the information through the media. As the Executive Authority believes matters of this nature are worthy of debate and discussion without any malice intended, it will always happen that the CRL Commission will act on these matters without fear or favour.

4. Commissioners were not immediately appraised of this matter but the Office of the Chairperson always makes it a point to inform the Commissioners.