Questions & Replies: Public Service & Administration

Share this page:
2013-08-20

THIS FILE CAN CONTAIN UP TO 25 REPLIES.

SEARCH ON THE TOPIC/KEYWORD YOU ARE LOOKING FOR BY SELECTING CTRL + F ON YOUR KEYBOARD

Reply received: November 2013

QUESTION NO.: 3145

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 15 NOVEMBER 2013

Mrs N W A Michael (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether her department received any funds for the Expanded Public Works Programme in the (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 financial years;

(2) whether any of these funds were earmarked for (a) capital or (b) infrastructure-related projects; if so, (i) what are the names of these projects, (ii) where are these projects situated, (iii) what is the value of each project and (iv) how many jobs have been created by each project

(3) in each case, what process was followed to appoint project (a) implementers and (b) consultants;

(4) in each case, were funds transferred to project implementers (a) in a lump sum or (b) through progress payment;

(5) whether any projects have been impeded due to maladministration or corruption; if so, (a) which projects have been affected and (b) what action has been taken in each case? NW3703E

REPLY

(1) The department did not receive any funding in respect of the Expanded Public Works Programme.

(2), (3), (4) and (5) Not applicable

Reply received: November 2013

QUESTION NO.: 3116

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 15 NOVEMBER 2013

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(a) For what reasons was she absent from the oral question day of Ministers in the Governance Cluster on 30 October 2013 and (b) what event did she attend on 30 October 2013? NW3673E

REPLY

The Honourable Member should have been informed by his Whip that a letter was sent prior my departure to the Speaker informing him that I would travel to China with the Deputy President to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with my counterpart. The MOU signed was on Training and anti-corruption measures.

Reply received: November 2013

QUESTION NO.: 3027

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1 NOVEMBER 2013

Ms B D Ferguson (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether she is aware that public servants request permission in writing for overtime; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,

(2) whether it is her department's policy that the applicants may assume that overtime is granted when there is no response within three months; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether she will make a statement on the matter? NW3583E

REPLY

(1) The Public Service Regulations and related prescripts provide that an employee can be compensated for overtime work only when the executive authority, or delegated authority, expressly required the employee to perform work in excess of his/her working hours and provided that such authorization was provided in advance. To this end it must be pointed out that for this purpose the Executive Authority must have a departmental policy in place which, among others, outlines the circumstances under which an employee will be authorised to perform overtime work, procedures to be followed, control measures, etc. Therefore, employees cannot apply out of own volition for permission to perform overtime work since such a situation can lead to abuse.

(2) Since paid overtime duty takes place on the express request of the executive authority, or delegated authority, and with such permission obtained in advance, paid overtime can only be undertaken once the necessary authorisation (i.e. written approval) has been obtained. An employee who performs overtime duty in the absence of such authorisation performs overtime duty voluntarily and cannot demand overtime pay for such overtime work performed.

(3) There are no plans to issue a statement on this matter at this stage.

Reply received: November 2013

QUESTION NO.: 3009

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1 NOVEMBER 2013

Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What is the status of the Public Service Commission's report into the two SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) officials (names furnished) who reported to the Cape Town-based SASSA General Manager: Fraud and Compliance? NW3559E

REPLY

The Public Service Commission's report has not been finalized yet, it is being commented on.

Reply received: November 2013

QUESTION NO.: 2974

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1 NOVEMBER 2013

Mrs M C Mohale (ANC) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether departments comply with section 7(3) of the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) Act, Act 88 of 1988, when procuring information technology goods or services through the Agency;

(2) how many departments are not complying with section 7(3) of the Sita Act;

(3) at what point was Sita unable to provide the necessary procurement for information technology departments in accordance with section 4(a) of the specified Act;

(4) whether Sita certifies every acquisition of any information technology goods or services in order to ensure compliance with the standards? NW3367E

REPLY

(1) Generally, there is compliance by Government Departments, however, there are those that do not comply with section7 (1) (a) (i) (ii) (iii) in relation to powers and duties of the Agency.

(2) Transgressions are reported through reports issued by the Office of the Auditor General during the audit process. When such reports are made available SITA enters into discussions with the relevant Accounting Officer, Head of Department and or Province.

(3) SITA continues to provide the necessary procurement for information technology for Departments in accordance with section 7. (4) (a) and with respect to transversal systems.

(4) SITA certifies all goods procured via Transversal Contracts. Acquisitions are done in terms of Section 7 (3) of the SITA Act. Certification is done by a dedicated SITA Certification Unit in terms of version 4.1 of the Minimum Interoperability Standard (MIS) SITA policy.

Reply received: November 2013

QUESTION NO.: 2973

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1 NOVEMBER 2013

Mrs J C Moloi-Moropa (ANC) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) How does she intend to address the ever-awaited Integration Management and Finance Systems (IMFS);

(2) who is between the National Treasury and the State Information and Technology Agency (Sita) the actual custodian of the Government's technology system? NW3363E

REPLY

(1) We acknowledge that the development and implementation of the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) have taken longer than originally planned due to various challenges that have been encountered. As a result of these challenges, a number of objective reviews were commissioned earlier this year. Based on the recommendations emanating from these reviews, a number of proposals have been formulated for submission to Cabinet. If approved, these proposals will expedite the development and implementation of the IFMS, as well as the governance of the IFMS programme. The intention is to obtain Cabinet's approval as soon as possible.

(2) In terms of the SITA Act, 1998, as amended, SITA must provide or maintain transversal information systems, such as the IFMS, for the Public Service. SITA also currently host the IFMS solutions. SITA is therefore regarded as the custodian of the IFMS. The development and implementation of the IFMS is however currently jointly managed by National Treasury, DPSA and SITA. Proposals are also under consideration to strengthen the governance of the IFMS programme.

Reply received: November 2013

QUESTION NO.: 2930

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 OCTOBER 2013

Mr M M Swathe (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) How much has (a) her department and (b) each of the entities reporting to her spent on advertisements placed on the Africa News Network 7 (ANN7) news channel;

(2) were these advertisements placed through the Government Information and Communications System? NW3481E

REPLY

(1) The Department of Public Service and Administration, the Public Service Commission and entities reporting to me have not spent any money on advertisements placed on the Africa News Network 7(ANN7) news channel.

(2) Not applicable.

Reply received: November 2013

QUESTION NO.: 2897

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 OCTOBER 2013

Mr T D Lee (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) What amount has (a) her department and (b) each of the entities reporting to her spent on advertising (i) in The New Age newspaper and (ii) on its website between 1 December 2012 and 31 August 2013;

(2) were these advertisements placed through the Government Information and Communication System? NW3448E

REPLY

(1) The Department of Public Service and Administration, the Public Service Commission and entities reporting to me did not spend any money on advertising in The New Age newspaper or its website during the specified period.

(2) Not applicable.

Reply received: November 2013

QUESTIONNO.: 2855

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 OCTOBER 2013

The Leader of the Opposition (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

How has she implemented the recommendations of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster Report: Landing of a Chartered Commercial Aircraft at Air Force Base Waterkloof, published on 17 May 2013, to discourage the name-dropping of members of the national Executive? NW3404E

REPLY

A policy has been developed and will be submitted to Cabinet. Thereafter, a directive discouraging the improper use of names of executive will be issued to both national and provincial administrations.

Reply received: December 2013

QUESTION NO.: 2837

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 OCTOBER 2013

Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether her department's involvement in (a) educating community development workers and (b) promoting the spirit of volunteerism has produced the required result and sustainability, as envisaged during the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup tournament; if not; why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3358E

REPLY

The principle mandate of the CDWs is bringing government closer to communities, as per section 195, particularly bridging government bureaucracy and the recipients of government services. The issue of training and sustainability has to be viewed within this framework. This required result is described in the mandate of the CDWs.

The responsibility of the DPSA to the CDW is to: familiarize them with their core responsibility, train them and to assist them in the execution of their responsibilities. Part of this responsibility entails making them understand their job descriptions and providing them with tools to implement their job – this is done formally, informally and through job exposure.

MECHANISMS FOR TRAINING CDWS

The national conference of CDWs which was held in March 2013 provided exposure, sharing of information and demonstrating for their purposes the interconnectedness of government departments and how this impacts on their work.

Training through Exposure

Attempts are made to expose CDWs to other world experiences. For example, a group of CDWs attended short courses in India. The courses included:

  • Entrepreneurship and small business;
  • Women and Enterprise Development;
  • Poverty and Livelihood options for Rural Women;
  • Planning for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable development; and
  • Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development.
  • Training through on the Job Exposure

    There are many other provincial initiatives to advance the work of the CDWs. For example, the North West Province is working with Statistics South Africa on training CDWs on data collection skills. Such data can in turn be used by STATSSA in their work on household and community profiling for the war on poverty. The DPSA has entered into collaboration with the Department of Communications and the LGSeta on E-skilling. The department will be piloting the programme in KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape.

    Using a combination of these methods ensures that we develop a well-rounded functionary of the state.

    In preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, government unleashed an active campaign to ensure that all South Africans support and make 2010 a big success. This brought about a spirit of nationhood and volunteerism. It is this spirit of nationhood and volunteerism that we are trying to harness and advance in a group of people who occupy a critical point in linking government and the people.

    I would like to assure the Honourable Member that the initiatives by my department are aimed at promoting the sustainability of the programme. At the national conference alluded to above, CDWs requested better tools for communication and management of information. My department is responding to this call.

    The CDWs role is becoming more professional, but still remains flexible. For instance, the most recent survey conducted around the national plan of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) was carried out by CDWs.

    They are able to provide government with a state of affairs at ward level; the basic state at house-to-house level. CDWs are able to provide a feel of their individual communities, and this information is vital for appropriate intervention.

    While CDWs receive a salary from government, the programme itself is a form of voluntary programme. It requires men and women who are committed to the difficult ambassadorial work that they do and its challenges, who understand government and what it seeks to do especially in alleviating poverty. While there are still challenges to overcome in this area, we are grateful to the CDWs for their spirit volunteerism and commitment to serve.

    Reply received: November 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2808

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 OCTOBER 2013

    Mr D J Stubbe (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) What amount has (a) her department and (b) each of the entities reporting to her spent on advertisements placed on the SABC 24 hour news channel;

    (2) were these advertisements placed through the Government Communication and Information System? NW3313E

    REPLY

    (1) The Department of Public Service and Administration, the Public Service Commission and entities reporting to me have not spent any money on advertisements placed on the SABC 24 hour news channel.

    (2) Not applicable.

    Reply received: December 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2723

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 OCTOBER 2013

    Mrs B C Diemu (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    Whether e-Government electronic kiosks and their myriad of applications and services (details furnished) have aligned their overall information and communications technology (ICT) policies to reflect the guidelines on accessibility to ensure the full social, economic inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3221E

    REPLY

    The closest service channels that can be somewhat described as "e-Government Kiosks" are the numerous Thusong centers around the country, which offer assisted service and not self-service.

    Although guidelines pertaining to accessibility, and in particular accessibility for people with disabilities, have not been issued by the MPSA, engagements have been made with a number of organizations representing disabled persons in order to identify issues and concerns such as accessibility. One such organization was the South African National Council for the Blind.

    The new e-Government Policy Framework 2019, which is currently under review, has as one of its principles; inclusivity which is also one the NDP's prominent themes. Further to this, the policy framework aims to achieve as one of its objectives, improved accessibility to all citizens irrespective of their levels of physical ability or proficiency.

    Reply received: November 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2672

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11 OCTOBER 2013

    Ms L L van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    Whether the Public Service Commission is currently investigating (a) any cases of (i) misconduct, (ii) fraud, (iii) corruption, (iv) maladministration and (v) nepotism and/or (b) any other transgressions against (i) current or (ii) former staff members of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities emanating from the Fluxmans Report; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3162E

    REPLY

    The Public Service Commission (PSC) is not currently investigating any cases of misconduct, fraud, corruption, maladministration, nepotism and/or any other transgressions against current or former staff members of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities emanating from the Fluxmans Report as the recommendations from the report do not refer the matter to the PSC.

    Reply received: October 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2648

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11 OCTOBER 2013

    Mr M Swart (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) Whether any performance bonuses were paid to employees in her department in the 2012-13 financial year; if so, what is the total (a) number of employees that received bonuses and (b) amount paid out by her department for these bonuses;

    (2) what percentage of outputs were achieved by her department as measured against each target set in its Annual Performance Plan in the 2012-13 financial year? NW3137E

    REPLY

    (1) The 2012/2013 performance bonuses have not been paid as yet as the process has not been finalised.

    (2) As per the Auditor General's findings on the department's achievement of the 2012/13 Annual Targets; of the 120 Annual Targets set for 2012/13 financial year, the department performed as follows:

    · achieved 75 (63%) of the annual targets and;

    · 16 (13%) of the annual targets were partly achieved

    Reply received: November 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2553

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11 OCTOBER 2013

    Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) With regard to her stay at Westcliff Hotel, north of Johannesburg between May 2012 and August 2013, (a) for what official purpose did she stay at the specified hotel and (b) why did she not reside at her official residence in Pretoria;

    (2) (a) what (i) were the precise dates on which she stayed at the specified hotel, (ii) are the (aa) names and (bb) positions of the persons who accompanied her and stayed at this hotel over the same period and (iii) is the total cost breakdown of her stay at this hotel and (b) which government departments are liable for settling these costs? NW3040E

    REPLY

    (1) In responding to the Honourable Member's question, I can only summarise my earlier response provided on the matter. In the aforementioned response, I confirmed that between June 2012 and June 2013 I spent five nights at Westcliff Hotel for official reasons. A copy of my response to a recent newspaper article setting out details is attached for the Honourable Member's ease of reference.

    (2) My protectors accompanied and stayed with me at the said hotel. The Policy developed by Parliament on Questions to the National Assembly states that "a question which publishes names of person or statements not strictly necessary to render the question intelligible is not permissible".

    MINISTRY

    PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION

    REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

    Private Bag X916, Pretoria, 0001

    Tel 012 336 1063/ 1183 Fax: 012-3361810

    RIGHT TO REPLY: "SISULU LIVES IT UP IN SWANKY WESTCLIFF"

    Dear Editor,

    After taking time to respond to enquiries by your reporter - Candice Bailey -, your article "Sisulu lives it up in swanky Westcliff", on Sunday 8 September 2013, was a bolt of shock to us. It was clearly a matter of our replies and facts not deterring your publication from having a sensational front page. We have consequently taken the decision to exercise our right of reply holding on to the thinning hope that this right will not fall foul of your editorial scalpel. Sadly, it is only in this way that we can share with the public our version and display the half truths, instigation and malice behind the story you published.

    Looking back, it is hard not to notice the dishonest and unethical conduct of your reporter in this affair. Your reporter first wanted the Minister to confirm that she had stayed at Westcliff Hotel in July and August 2013. Her question, received on Thursday 5 September 2013 stated that "(O)ur sources however, say she has been staying at the hotel for an uninterrupted period since former president Nelson Mandela was hospitalised". Right from the outset this indicated to us that the reporter was on an illogical trip. Madiba's name in the story made for even less sense – unless one remembered its pull, in this case sensational! She was not fazed by the absurdity of the Minister staying in Johannesburg when Madiba was in hospital in Pretoria. That Madiba was hospitalised in June, the same month that the Westcliff closed for renovations, also proved too weak a consideration for your reporter to reconsider her giddy dance with the "impeccable sources". In her enquiries with us, she feigned shock when we drew her attention to this public information of Madiba's hospitalisation and the closing down of the hotel. Anyone with enough sense would have known that the sources' story had no basis, that in fact it was a ludicrous concoction that was intended to create a catchy headline and outrage.

    After a few days she needed to recover, your reporter was at it again, hoping we would deny that the Minister had stayed at the hotel so that she would have a big story about "a lying Minister". When we informed her that the Minister spent five nights at the hotel between June 2012 and June 2013 due to official engagements, she was palpably deflated. It was becoming clear that her story was dying, and her quest for a front page story was also vanishing.

    Having refused to send us written questions which we requested on Monday, she then decided to call the Chairperson of the Public Service Association in the Department of Public Service and Administration under the pretext of getting a comment regarding the Minister's stay at the hotel. The Chairperson, whose Union had just returned from the historic launch of the Public Service Charter, informed her that he does not want to be part of her campaign. Clearly she wants to damage the very good relations between government and unions, based on lies.

    Further constraining our right of reply, written questions finally arrived on Thursday evening. Faced with the prospect of a fading story, she asked the Ministry's travel agency to supply her with bookings made for the Minister at the Westcliff Hotel, going as far back as 1996. Evidently, the fact that the Minister had stayed at the hotel only 5 nights since June 2012 was drying up the juice in the accounts of the "impeccable sources". It became necessary to recycle old news relating to some alleged flights, which had subsequently been withdrawn by the Ministry of Defence and the fact that Minister is not operating from Batho Pele House.

    In what is becoming standard procedure with some journalists, when faced with a challenge of credibility, the semi-dignified way out (or further in this case) is to invoke anonymous sources to paint a picture that you have already chosen.

    The reporter was at pains to suggest that there is something amiss about a Minister staying in a hotel in Johannesburg when she has a house in Pretoria. She chose not to point out that this occurs in rare cases when the Minister's engagements and official meetings end very late at night, and she does so when only when she has engagements early the next morning in Johannesburg.

    We are not against public scrutiny. Ethical conduct is expected from all of us, but creating fictitious stories in the desperation to get front page news does a disservice to good journalism.

    Communications

    Reply received: August 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2268

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23 AUGUST 2013

    Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) Why was a certain person's contract (details furnished) with the State Information Technology Agency terminated before 1 January 2014;

    (2) whether he was given a golden handshake; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2700E

    REPLY

    On matters of policy, the Board is required to get the shareholder's consent at all times. However, on matters of internal controls and discipline the Board is required to exercise its fiduciary responsibilities without hindrance.

    Following the above, I have been notified of the Board's decisions on this matter. Should the Honourable Member require further information on the reasons for the Board's decision, I would suggest that the Honourable Member tables the matter before the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration for discussion.

    Reply received: September 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2267

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23 AUGUST 2013

    Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minster for the Public Service and Administration:

    Whether the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) has provided the Auditor-General with the outstanding supporting documentation for tenders awarded by the agency; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2699E

    REPLY

    The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) advised that the documentation referred to by the Honourable Member was subsequently made available to the Auditor General to conclude the review. The said documents were not available during the Auditor General's audit as they were with other assurance providers for separate engagements on various matters.

    Reply received: August 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2266

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23 AUGUST 2013

    Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minster for the Public Service and Administration:

    Whether a certain contract (details furnished) that was found by the Auditor-General to have been awarded without an expiry date has been rectified; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2698E

    REPLY

    The contract referred by the Honourable member is currently being reviewed by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) Legal Services with the intention of converting it from being an evergreen contract to a term contract. It is envisaged that the contract in question will be terminated by the end of September 2013 and replaced with a three year contract starting from 01 October 2013 to 30 September 2016.

    Reply received: September 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2140

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 AUGUST 2013

    Mr J J van der Linde (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) Whether any staff member in her department (a) performed work in addition to the responsibilities related to his or her work, outside normal working hours, in the (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2010-11, (iv) 2011-12 and (v) 2012-13 financial years and (b) has been performing such work during the period 1 April 2013 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if not, how is it determined whether such work is being performed or not; if so, in each case, (aa) how many staff members and (bb) in what job or work categories are the specified staff members employed;

    (2) whether approval for such work was obtained in each case; if not, what are the relevant details; if so, (a) what is the policy of her department in this regard, (b) by whom are such applications considered and approved, (c) how many contraventions of this policy were brought to the attention of her department in the (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 financial years and (d) what steps have been taken against transgressors? NW2562E

    REPLY

    (1) (a) Yes.

    (i) 2008-09 4 staff members

    (ii) 2009-10 4 staff members

    (iii) 2010-11 4 staff members

    (iv) 2011-12 3 staff members

    (v) 2012-13 7 staff members

    (b) 26 staff members were granted permission to perform remunerative work outside the public service

    (aa) 26 staff members

    (bb) staff categories: within SMS, MMS and levels 1-10

    (2) Yes, and one application was not approved due to conflict of interest.

    (a) The department is guided by the Public Service Act, 1994, as amended, Chapter VII, Section 30.

    (b) Approval authority for members of the Middle Management Services (MMS) has been delegated to the Director General and approval for Senior Management Services (SMS) remains with the Executive Authority.

    (c) (i) no information available for 2010-2011.

    (ii) six (6) cases were brought to the attention of the department in 2011-2012.

    (iii) one hundred and twelve (112) cases were brought to the attention of the department in 2012 -2013.

    (d) No steps were taken in 2010-2011 as no information was brought to the attention of the Department.

    In 2011-2012, the relevant staff members were requested in writing to provide evidence in writing that they had approval to perform remunerative work outside the department. Of the six (6) people, one (1) employee provided proof of approval, two (2) people had left the department by the time of the request and three (3) employees provided evidence of not being involved with remunerated work outside the department, they had resigned as members of the companies in question.

    Of the one hundred and twelve cases brought to the attention of the department in 2012-2013, the department is processing written requests to the relevant employees for reasons for non-compliance, if and where required.

    Reply received: August 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2107

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 AUGUST 2013

    Mr N J van den Berg (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (a) Does her department prepare quarterly interim financial statements and (b) are these statements considered by the Audit Committee? NW2529E

    REPLY

    (a) The Department of Public Service and Administration does prepare and submit interim quarterly financial statements to National Treasury.

    (b) These Statements are not considered by the Audit Committee.

    Reply received: September 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2021

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 8 AUGUST 2013

    Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    What (a) progress has been made with the establishment of the new Corruption Bureau, (b) capacity is needed to make this bureau functional and (c) skills are needed for appointment as (i) head of the bureau and (ii) staff to manage the bureau? NW2383E

    REPLY

    (a) The following progress has been made regarding the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Bureau:

    The Public Administration Management Bill, 2013, (PAM Bill) provides for the establishment of the Anti Corruption Bureau. Public comments on the PAM Bill closed on 31 July 2013. Amendments have been effected and the Bill will be tabled in Cabinet before presentation to Parliament.

    The Anti Corruption Bureau will perform functions assigned by the Minister in terms of the Public Service Act. Those assigned functions do not include investigations but relate to capacity building, monitoring of cases and the reporting on cases. When the Public Administration Management Bill is passed, the Anti Corruption Bureau will have investigative responsibilities and the responsibility to organise disciplinary proceedings.

    We are finalising consultations with the Minister of Finance to set up the Anti-Corruption Bureau as a government component. All the necessary steps, such as the required interdepartmental feasibility studies, have been completed.

    (b) Regarding the capacity required to make this Bureau functional:

    We are aware of the need to build capacity for this Anti Corruption Bureau. We are therefore consulting other anti-corruption agencies of the state to assist us, while we build our own capacity. This should enable us to make the necessary interventions as soon as the Anti Corruption Bureau is in place.

    The Acting Director General is also consulting with the National Treasury for budget purposes. A budget presentation has also been made to one of the sub-committees of the National Treasury.

    (c) On the skills that are needed for appointment as (i) head of the Bureau and (ii) staff to manage the Bureau:

    i. The Head of the Bureau:

    Efforts are being made to recruit the Head of the Anti Corruption Bureau. We will ensure that the Head is a person of integrity, skilled in investigations, management and other requirements for the job.

    ii. Staff to manage the Bureau:

    As discussed in (b), we are consulting with other anti-corruption agencies of the state to assist us with staff while we build our own capacity. On the recruitment of the Head of the Anti Corruption Bureau, posts will be job graded and evaluated first as soon as the budget is allocated, following which we will begin with recruitment of staff.

    Reply received: September 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 2020

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 8 AUGUST 2013

    Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) With reference to the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (Palama), what (a) is the state of readiness and (b) implementation procedures are in place to enhance the training and development of public servants to improve productivity;

    (2) (a) what are the criteria for interns and (b) will Palama be able to deal with this demand; if not, what steps will she take to deal with this matter;

    (3) (a) will senior management personnel in various departments be used to facilitate the training of educational staff and (b) what criteria will be used to employ experts to lecture on subject matters? NW2382E

    REPLY

    (1) I am sure the Honourable member is referring to the state of readiness of the proposed National School of Government and not the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA). We reviewed the way PALAMA was operating and arrived at a decision to establish a School of Government that will provide education, training and development programmes for the public service. The response below provides an update on progress made towards the establishment of the School of Government:

    I have established an Advisory Task Team (ATT), with a mandate to make recommendations on the form, scope, role, operations and structure of the National School of Government designed and resourced to adequately meet public sector training needs at all levels of government in South Africa. Additionally, the ATT is mandated to guide and provide advice on the critical paths and milestones on the transformation of PALAMA into the National School of Government. It will also seek to develop a critical narrative and trajectory on the coordination of public service training operations and consolidation of practice through policy, norms and standards focused on curriculum development, research, training, teaching and learning in the public service and administration sector. The ATT commenced its work on 19 February 2013 and is to conclude by submitting, for the Minister's consideration and approval, a comprehensive report before the launch of the National School of Government. The work of the ATT will continue beyond the launch of the School to guide the transition from PALAMA to the National School of Government. .

    (a) The ATT has been working in collaboration with PALAMA in developing a business case for the National School of Government. This includes secondary research, institutional performance analyses, international benchmark studies, undertaking surveys among public servants, formal engagements with government institutions as well as members of academic institutions, as well as a review of the current curriculum offerings towards determining and designing new/ improved curriculum to be offered in the National School of Government. As committed to in the Budget Speech made by this Ministry, the National School of Government will be launched on 21 October 2013.

    (b) With regard to operationalising the National School of Government, this will be phased in as set out in the strategy and implementation plan of the National School of Government. The National School of Government will be responsible for co-ordination of education, training and development programmes with the objective of developing a professional, responsive and capable public service, driven by the imperative of a developmental state and imbued with a culture and ethos of service. The National School of Government will support and work with institutions to identify capacity gaps and education, training and development programmes will be driven by the identified needs of the institution in order to improve performance and service delivery. An immediate priority will be for all newly appointed public servants to undergo the Compulsory Induction Programme (CIP). PALAMA has designed curriculum and piloted training materials which are being assessed with the intention of the rollout of the CIP under the National School of Government.

    (2) (a) The Department of Public Service and Administration issued guidelines on the determination of interns in the public service. The Honourable Member is referred to DPSA Circular No. HRD1 of 1999 in this regard. The circular is attached for ease of reference.

    (b) It must be noted that PALAMA has developed a training programme (Breaking Barriers to Entry), which is aimed at preparing unemployed youth graduates for public service employment opportunities. Since inception in the 2010/11 financial year and until the 2012/13 financial year, a total of 6 937 graduates have been trained, a significant portion of whom are currently employed as interns in the public service.

    (3) (a) One of the defining features of the National School of Government will be the use of

    the best available expertise of practitioners within the public service, combined with capacity sourced from outside of the public service, including retired public servants, to facilitate learning and development that is relevant to the needs of the public service. The application of learning in the work place will be continuously monitored and evaluated to ensure that learning is resulting in improved performance and service delivery. Provisions currently exist in the Public Service Regulations for senior managers to avail themselves to provide training and therefore this option is ready for application and currently being tested in the implementation of the Compulsory Induction and the Breaking-Barriers to Entry Programmes.

    (b) The experience and expertise of subject matter experts within the public service will be combined with in-sourcing the best available expertise, with an understanding of the character and needs of the public service.

    Reply received: August 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1868

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26 JULY 2013

    Mr M G P Lekota (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    Whether the Government is ensuring that every applicant for an advertised position in the Public Service is required to (a) produce a current tax clearance certificate, (b) authenticate his or her qualifications through the institution where they were obtained, (c) provide a statement from a previous employer that he or she did not violate any fiduciary, administrative, professional, contractual or governance responsibility, (d) undertake an independently set written examination on the (i) Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, and (ii) Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and (e) provide a sworn statement of total commitment to serve the public cause with absolute integrity and irreproachable conduct; if not, why not; if so, (i) what are the relevant details and (ii) what follow-ups will be done to ensure that every commitment is adhered to? NW2222E

    REPLY

    (a) The current provisions of the Public Service Act or the Public Service Regulations do not require candidates to provide a tax clearance certificate from SARS.

    (b) Yes, in terms of the Directive on the verification of Public Service employees' qualifications issued by the Minister of Public Service and Administration (MPSA) in 2010, departments must verify the educational qualifications of a candidate with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) before an appointment is made.

    (c) All applicants are required to indicate on the application for employment form (Z83) whether they have been dismissed from previous employment. Information on previous employment and screening checks are done before a person is appointed to determine if there may be adverse reasons that could prevent the appointment of such an applicant, and this could cover violation of administrative procedures.

    (d) Currently there is no requirement for a written examination on either the PFMA or the Constitution. However, these are matters that we are going to introduce in the curriculum of the National School of Government which we will be establishing in October.

    (e) All Public Servants are required to abide by the Code of Conduct. The National School of Government will be established to ensure, inter alia, that we have public service cadres with integrity who are fully conscious of their duty to the state and the citizens of this country. We have just signed the Service Charter with the unions in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council, which sets out the commitments of public servants in the delivery of public services. The intention is to ensure that all public servants will be required to sign the Charter so that they serve the citizenry with professionalism and absolute integrity.

    Reply received: August 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1835

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26 JULY 2013

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

    (1) How many consultants has her department contracted and/or appointed (a) in the (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13 financial years and (b) since 1 April 2013;

    (2) how many consultants contracted and/or appointed by her department (a) in the (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13 financial years and (b) since 1 April 2013 are former officials of her department and/or former public servants? NW2183E

    REPLY

    (1) The number of consultants appointed by the department per financial year is as follows:

    (i) 2009-10 : 112 (one hundred and twelve)

    (ii) 2010-11 : 91 (ninety one)

    (iii) 2011-12 : 42 (forty two)

    (iv) 2012-13 : 40 (forty)

    (v) Since April 2013 : 27 (twenty seven)

    (2) The current supply chain framework does not make provision for consultants to disclose their previous employment in the public service. Therefore, we are unable to confirm whether consultants used were former public servants or not. However, the point raised in this question is valid and we will consider proposing amendments to declarations by consultants.

    Reply received: August 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1801

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26 JULY 2013

    Mr K S Mubu (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    What (a) buildings under the administration of (i) her department and (ii) entities reporting to her are national key points and (b) criteria were used to classify them as such? NW2148E

    REPLY

    The information requested by the Honourable member resides with the Minister of Police who is responsible for the Act referred to. Therefore it would be advisable that any further questions should be referred to the Ministry of Police.

    Reply received: December 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1768

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26 JULY 2013

    Mr M R Sayedali Shah (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    What is the (a) make, (b) model, (c) year and (d) purchase price of each vehicle that was bought for official use by (i) her and (ii) the Deputy Minister since 1 January 2012? NW2115E

    REPLY

    (i) The Department has procured a replacement vehicle for the Minister during the period in question for official use. The vehicle which was replaced was the 2010 BMW X5 3.0d which had reached the end of its lifespan. The process of trading in the BMW X5 has not been concluded yet and therefore details of the transaction will be made available once the processes have been finalised.

    (ii) Not applicable for the period in question.

    Reply received: June 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1463

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 7 JUNE 2013

    Adv A de W Alberts (FF Plus) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) In the light of the recent hacking into the computer system of the SA Police Service (SAPS), through which information on 17 000 persons in the witness protection programme was placed on public forums on the Internet, (a) what security measures were in place to prevent cyber hackers from hacking into the SAPS computer system, (b) which company was used for the (i) design and (ii) maintenance of the SAPS computer system and (c) whether, with regard to the sensitivity of the information dealt with by the SAPS, additional security measures are built into their computer system which are not built into those of other state departments; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

    (2) whether in the contract with the computer service provider any reference is made to fines should the computer system of the SAPS be hacked into; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

    (3) whether, since the hacking incident took place, any measures have been introduced so as to prevent similar incidents from taking place in the future; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1808E

    REPLY

    (1) According to the information at our disposal on this regrettable incident, the information which was compromised was not of persons in the witness protection. The records downloaded were of persons who provided information to the South African Police service.

    (a) The following security measures were implemented:

    · Firewall;

    · Inverse proxy (An inverse proxy takes requests from the Internet and forwards them to servers in an internal network. Those making requests connect to the proxy and may not be aware of the internal network and it helps to protect the internal network from intrusions);

    · Network Intrusion Prevention software;

    · Malware inspection software; and

    · Antivirus software.

    (b) The website application was developed in 2004/2005 and it is maintained by SITA. There is no external contractor involved in the maintenance of the website application. The maintenance is governed by a Service Level Agreement between SITA and SAPS.

    (c) Although various security measures have been implemented in the applications and infrastructure managed by SITA on behalf of SAPS, the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals has resulted in a race to implement security measures ahead of the latest developed attacks.

    (2) The Service Level Agreement between SITA and SAPS does make provision for penalties for non-performance, but it does not include penalties for information security.

    (3) SITA has done vulnerability scans on websites hosted by SITA, including www.saps.gov.za. A process has been initiated since February 2013 to resolve the reported vulnerabilities in the web applications. This is unfortunately a tedious process as it requires the redevelopment of large portions of the application.

    After the attack, a team of experts were put together and the following actions were performed on the SAPS web server environment:

    · Security Architectural Review

    · Security Standards Review

    · High-Level vulnerability assessment on hosting infrastructure

    · Technical Assessment on SAPS Website

    · Security Configuration Review for the firewalls

    A detailed implementation plan was developed to address all the security requirements for the web site environment that were identified in the technical assessment and the implementation is currently underway.

    Reply received: July 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1358

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 31 MAY 2013

    Dr C P Mulder (FF Plus) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) With reference to her reply to question 558 on 3 May 2013, how many posts of (a) directors-general, (b) deputy directors-general and (c) chief director (i) exist and (ii) have been filled at present;

    (2) what is the (a) total amount that is being paid as remuneration packages and (b) average remuneration package that is being paid to the (i) directors-general, (ii) deputy directors-general and (iii) chief directors;

    (3) how many (a) black, (b) brown, (c) Indian and (d) white persons (i) in total, (ii) for each separate State department and (iii) in each separate post level have been appointed as (aa) director-general, (bb) deputy director-general and (cc) chief director? NW1688E

    REPLY

    (1) The number of posts and officials in the top 3 management levels in the Public Service, at the end of April 2013, were as follows:

    No of Officials and Posts in top management levels in the Public Service

    as at 30 April 2013

    Post Level

    Number of Posts

    Number of Officials

    Director-General

    160

    149

    Deputy Director-General

    645

    521

    Chief Director

    2 496

    2 074

    Source: PERSAL

    Excluding: Defence

    (a) There were (i) 160 Director-General posts of which (ii) 149 (93%) were filled.

    (b) There were (i) 645 Deputy Director-General posts of which (ii) 521(80.8%) were filled.

    (c) There were (i) 2 496 Chief Director posts of which (ii) 2 074 (83.1%) were filled.

    (2) The total and average remuneration of officials in the top 3 management levels in the Public Service, at the end of April 2013, were as follows:

    Number of officials and Remuneration by Management Level

    as at 30 April 2013

    Management Level

    Number of Officials

    Remuneration

    Total (Rands)

    Average (Rands)

    Director-General

    149

    212 624 224

    1 427 008

    Deputy Director-General

    521

    587 446 731

    1 127 536

    Chief Director

    2 074

    1 917 462 282

    924 523

    Source: PERSAL

    Excluding: Defence

    (i) The total remuneration for Director-General's was (a) R212 624 224 which is an average of (b) R1 427 008 per official.

    (ii) The total remuneration for Deputy Director-General's was (a) R587 446 731 which is an average of (b) R1 127 536 per official.

    (ii) The total remuneration for Chief Director's was (a) R1 917 462 282 which is an average of (b) R924 523 per official.

    (3) The Employment Equity Act no 55 of 1998 classifies racial groups as Africans, Asians, Coloureds and Whites. To this end, my response to this question will be based on these official categories rather than the categories (white, brown, Indian and black people) used by the Honourable member.

    Based on this assumption, the number of officials in the top 3 management levels in the Public Service, at the end of April 2013, according to Race was as follows:

    (i) There was a total of (a) 1 870 African (68%) (b) 251 Coloured (7%) (c) 194 Asian (9%) and (d) 429 White (15.6%) officials in the top 3 management levels in the Public Service.

    (ii) The number of officials by race for (ii) each department can be found in the table attached:

    (iii) The number of officials by race for every management level was as follows:

    Number of officials in top management levels in the Public Service by Level and Race

    as at 30 April 2013

    Provincial/National Department

    Race

    (a) African

    (c) Asian

    (b) Coloured

    (d) White

    (aa) Director-General

    115

    6

    7

    21

    (bb) Deputy Director-General

    351

    46

    49

    75

    (cc) Chief Director

    1 404

    142

    195

    333

    Total

    1 870

    194

    251

    429

    Source: PERSAL

    Excluding: Defence

    Reply received: June 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1332

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 31 MAY 2013

    Mr G G Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) Whether (a) she, (b) her deputy minister, (c) any specified officials and (d) any other persons have been issued with a government or official credit card (i) in the (aa) 2011-12 and (bb) 2012-13 financial years and (ii) since 1 April 2013; if so, in each instance, what is the (aaa)(aaaa) name and (bbbb) job title of each person to whom a credit card was issued, (bbb) credit limit, (ccc) outstanding amount as at the latest specified date for which information is available, (ddd) monthly expenses incurred for each month since receiving the credit card, (eee) reason for such a person being issued with a credit card and (fff) uses that such a credit card is intended for;

    (2) whether the credit limit of any specified credit card was exceeded at any time since it was issued; if so, (a) whose credit cards are over the limit and (b) what is the reason for the credit card exceeding the limit? NW1662E

    REPLY

    (1)(a) Yes

    (b) No

    (c) None

    (d) None

    (aaaa) & (bbbb) The Minister for Public Service and Administration has been in possession of a credit card since December 2012.

    (bbb) Credit limit is R50 000.00 per month.

    (ccc) The account is up to date

    (ddd) The monthly expenses incurred each month is as follows:

    MONTH

    AMOUNT

    SPENT ON

    December 2012

    11 021.52

    January 2013

    32 861.12

    February 2013

    14 712 .20

    March 2012

    14 171.20

    April 2013

    9 107.70

    May 2013

    31 130.20

    Total

    113 004.20

    (eee) The credit card was issued for official responsibilities in line with official policy.

    (fff) The credit card is used for official entertainment and gifts.

    (2) None

    Reply received: July 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1254

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24 MAY 2013

    Adv A de W Alberts (FF Plus) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:†

    How many persons from each official language group are in the employ of each (a) state departement, (b) public enterprise, (c) government commissions, (d) section 9 institution and (e) institution that reports to a State departement or Minister? NW1501E

    REPLY

    DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION (DPSA)

    (a) The home language, as captured on PERSAL, was used in responding to this question. Unfortunately the language proficiency in terms of the eleven official languages is not available. The information provided in Table 1 below is for indigenous languages only.

    Table 1: Number of Officials by Home Language

    Number of Officials by Home Language

    as on 30 April 2013

    Home Language

    Number

    %

    ZULU

    320 317

    21.841

    ENGLISH

    242 043

    16.504

    XHOSA

    215 409

    14.688

    AFRIKAANS

    182 148

    12.42

    TSWANA

    131 874

    8.992

    NORTH-SOTHO

    98 486

    6.715*

    SOUTH-SOTHO

    56 994

    3.886

    SOTHO

    42 922

    2.927

    VENDA

    42 138

    2.873

    TSONGA

    40 234

    2.743

    SWAZI

    35 178

    2.399

    PEDI

    25 060

    1.709*

    NDEBELE

    14 683

    1.001

    SHANGAAN

    11 366

    0.775

    NAMA

    23

    0.002

    BUSHMAN

    21

    0.001

    Total

    1 466 591

    100

    Source: PERSAL

    CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE INNOVATION (CPSI)

    (e) The CPSI employs the follow staff per language group:

    (1) Sepedi: 3

    (2) Setswana: 6

    (3) Sesotho: 1

    (4) isiZulu: 7

    (5) isiXhosa: 2

    (6) Afrikaans: 2

    (7) Tshivenda: 1

    (8) isiNdebele 1

    STATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AGENCY (SITA)

    Afrikaans

    English

    isiXhosa

    isiZulu

    Sesotho

    xitsonga

    Setswana

    siSwati

    Total

    Employees

    333

    983

    99

    1492

    20

    88

    39

    29

    3083

    Percentage

    10.8%

    31.9%

    3.2%

    48.4%

    0.6%

    2.9%

    1.3%

    0.9%

    PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (PSC)

    The Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent Constitutional body, and its budget is appropriated via the Minister for Public Service and Administration. The PSC has 244 employees in filled posts and 25 vacant posts on its staff establishment. The PSC has the following persons from each official language group in its employ:

    Language Group

    Number of Persons

    Sepedi

    48

    Sesotho

    13

    Setswana

    35

    siSwati

    10

    Tshivenda

    13

    Xitsonga

    14

    Afrikaans

    24

    English

    20

    isiNdebele

    7

    isiXhosa

    28

    Zulu

    32

    PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ACADEMY (PALAMA)

    Language

    No. of employees

    Afrikaans

    37

    English

    18

    Isindebele

    9

    North Sotho

    31

    South Sotho

    9

    IsiSwazi

    3

    Tsonga

    10

    Setswana

    34

    Tshivenda

    10

    IsiXhosa

    16

    IsiZulu

    19

    Total

    196

    GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES MEDICAL SCHEME (GEMS)

    Sesotho sa Leboa

    14

    IsiZulu

    6

    Setswana

    25

    Sesotho

    6

    Tshivenda

    3

    Afrikaans

    5

    Swahili

    1

    Xitsonga

    4

    IsiXhosa

    4

    English

    2

    IsiNdebele

    1

    Reply received: August 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1235

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24 MAY 2013

    Mr M Mnqasela (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    What amount has her department spent on (a) catering and (b) entertainment in the (i) 2012-13 financial year and (ii) since 1 April 2013? NW1481E

    REPLY

    (a) The Department of Public Service and Administration has, during the period under review, incurred catering cost for, amongst others, hosting the following events:

    ITEM DESCRIPTION

    AMOUNT

    MEMORIAL SERVICES and Funeral of Former Minister

    330 900.00

    PUBLIC SERVICE MONTH

    208 780.00

    PUBLIC SECTOR HCT LAUNCH EVENT

    249 000.00

    6TH PUBLIC SECTOR INNOVATION CONFERENCE

    573 378.87

    APRM FOCAL POINT

    306 381.84

    WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATION

    212 496.00

    UNPAN WORKSHOP

    253 288.96

    FINANCE STRATEGIC PLANNING

    105 157.00

    CPSI AWARDS

    721 086.87

    APRM

    221 546.14

    The amount spent by the Department of Public Service and Administration on catering for the above and other official meetings is:

    (i) 2012-13: R 5 193 697.39

    (ii) Since April 2013: R 143 362.68

    (b) Entertainment entails catering when hosting meetings in hotels and restaurants, in the country and during foreign visits, as well as Strategic Planning sessions and workshops held at hotels:

    (i) 2012-13: R 86 287.95

    (ii) Since April 2013: R 1 975.00

    Reply received: August 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1149

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 17 MAY 2013

    Mr P van Dalen (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) What are the procedural and substantive requirements for the appointment of a director-general;

    (2) what qualifications are required from a candidate to be appointed as the director-general;

    (3) how long may a person remain in the position of director-general? NW1382E

    REPLY

    (1) The procedural and substantive requirements for the appointment of Directors-General are stipulated in the Executive Protocol: Principles and Procedures for the Employment of Heads of Department (HODs) and Deputy Directors - General (DDGs) nationally, which was adopted by Cabinet on 24 October 2012. In terms of the said Executive Protocol document, an Executive Authority (EA) has the power to appoint Directors-General. It further stipulates that the Minister for the Public Service and Administration (MPSA) must be consulted by the relevant EA regarding the proposed appointment; since the MPSA is responsible for obtaining Cabinet's concurrence on appointment of a suitable person to a post of Director-General (DG). To assist the MPSA to exercise this responsibility, individual EAs must provide the MPSA with a Cabinet Memorandum at least four weeks before the next Cabinet meeting in this regard.

    Furthermore, the Executive Protocol states the following:

    (a) no person shall be appointed permanently, whether on probation or not, to any post on the establishment in a department unless he or she –

    (i) is a South African citizen or permanent resident; and

    (ii) is a fit and proper person.

    (b) in the making of appointments and the filling of posts in the Public Service due regard shall be given to equality and the other democratic values and principles enshrined in the Constitution. Furthermore, Section 11(2) of the Public Service Act requires that "all persons who applied and qualify for the appointment concerned shall be considered".

    (c) the evaluation of persons shall be based on "training, skills, competence, knowledge and the need to redress, in accordance with the Employment Equity Act, 1998, the imbalances of the past to achieve a public service broadly representative of the South African people, including representation according to race, gender and disability".

    The steps to be followed for the appointment of a Director-General include ensuring that:

    (i) The post exists in the approved organizational structure, which has been determined in terms of its core and support functions of a particular department and that the job is evaluated, unless it has been evaluated before and there are no significant changes to the functions.

    (ii) A real need exists for a position to be filled before a process of recruitment is initiated.

    (iii) The post has been budgeted for and funds are available to cover the expenses of the appointment;

    (iv) The vacant post of a DG, should be advertised nationwide inside and outside the Public Service to reach as efficiently and effectively as possible the entire pool of potential applicants.

    (v) An advertisement for a post must, as a minimum, specify the following –

    1) Job title.

    2) Place to be stationed.

    3) Formal educational requirements as well as specific competencies, experience and knowledge requirements (i.e. inherent requirements of the post).

    4) Core functions to be performed by the incumbent.

    5) All-inclusive package payable.

    6) Contact particulars of person to whom enquiries can be addressed.

    7) Closing date.

    8) Application for the post must be made using the Z83 form and that all information must be provided – failure to complete or disclose all required information will automatically disqualify the applicant.

    9) The contract period should be clearly stated.

    10) That the successful candidate will be required to enter into an employment contract and sign an annual performance agreement.

    11) That all shortlisted candidates will be subjected to personnel suitability checks and the successful candidate will have to undergo full security vetting.

    12) All applicants to declare any conflict or perceived conflict of interest.

    13) All applicants to disclose membership of Boards and directorships that they may be associated with.

    14) The successful candidate will have to annually disclose her or his financial interests.

    15) Identified candidates will be subjected to a government specific competency assessment.

    (vi) The application documents should be screened to determine whether applicants comply with the basic criteria laid down in the advertisement and the selection process commences.

    (vii) After the closing date, the relevant EA must convene a Selection Committee that will be responsible for shortlisting and conducting interviews.

    (viii) After the selection committee has concluded shortlisting, the appointing Department must conduct, for shortlisted candidates; personnel suitability checks which shall cover at least the following:

    · Criminal record checks;

    · Citizenship verification;

    · Financial/asset record checks;

    · Qualification/Study verification; and

    · Previous employment verification (Reference checks).

    (ix) The appointment of a Director-General at national level can only be effected after consultation with the MPSA and obtaining Cabinet's concurrence. To facilitate this process national EAs must provide the MPSA with a Cabinet Memorandum containing all relevant information at least four weeks before the next Cabinet meeting.

    (x) After Cabinet's concurrence has been obtained, the relevant EA will issue an appointment letter to the successful candidate. The respective candidate must complete form Z204, in order to allow the Domestic Branch of the State Security Agency to conduct the necessary vetting investigation.

    (2) The Public Service Regulations requires an EA to determine composite requirements for employment in any post on the basis of the inherent requirements of the job. An EA must therefore determine the composite requirements for employment in the relevant post on the basis of the inherent requirements thereof. Educational qualification requirements, including qualifications obtained through the Recognition of Prior Learning process and linked to the National Qualification Framework, should as per the post advertisement reflect the minimum qualification requirements determined during job evaluation. Such qualification requirements should be specific to the post. Over the years it has been the practice of Government that advertisements for posts of DGs require a minimum of three year qualification or equivalent. In order to standardize minimum qualifications for a post of DG, I have pronounced that all posts of DGs will require a three-year degree or equivalent. Work has commenced to update the Executive Protocol to insert this minimum qualification for the appointment to the post of Director General. This will help standardize the required minimum qualifications for appointment to this post across the board.

    (3) All DGs are appointed on contract for a period of five years. The relevant EA may at the expiry of the term of office of a HoD extend the term for a period of not more than five years at a time. Such an extension must serve before Cabinet.

    Reply received: July 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1132

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 17 MAY 2013

    Mrs N W A Michael (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (a) What total amount has (i) her department and (ii) each specified entity reporting to her spent on conferences in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11, (cc) 2011-12 and (dd) 2012-13 financial years and (b) what (i) amount was spent on, and (ii) is the breakdown of the expenditure for, each specified conference? NW1365E

    REPLY

    DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION (DPSA)

    (a) (i) The total amount spent on conferences for the Department of Public Service and Administration is as follows:

    (aa) 2009-10: R 1 043 682.50

    (bb) 2010-11: R 1 797 656.80

    (cc) 2011-12: R 1 657 097.18

    (dd) 2012-13: R 3 501 939.02

    (ii) The breakdown of the conference expenditure during the 2009/10 financial year is as follows:

    Conference

    (b)(i)

    Amount spent

    (b)(ii)

    Breakdown of expenditure

    2ND Public Service Gender Indaba

    R357 797.00

    Venues: R226 447.00

    Catering: R126 400.00

    Entertainment: R 4 950.00

    Batho Pele Learning Network

    R685 885.50

    Venues: R685 885.50

    TOTAL

    R1 043 682.50

    (a)(ii) The breakdown of the conference expenditure during the 2010/11 financial year is as follows:

    Conference

    (b)(i)

    Amount spent

    (b)(ii)

    Breakdown of expenditure

    Senior Management Services conference

    R147 570.50

    Venues: R147 570.50

    African Peer Review Mechanism conference in Cape Town

    R350 000.00

    Venues: R 91 100.00

    Catering: R258 900.00

    African Peer Review Mechanism conference in Durban

    R180 996.30

    Venues: R140 996.30

    Catering: R 40 000.00

    32nd African Association Public Administration Management conference

    R702 950.00

    Venues: R672 500.00

    Catering: R 30 450.00

    Khaedu conference

    R416 140.00

    Venues: R332 640.00

    Catering: R 83 500.00

    TOTAL

    R1 797 656.80

    (a)(ii) The breakdown of the conference expenditure during the 2011/12 financial year is as follows:

    Conference

    (b)(i)

    Amount spent

    (b)(ii)

    Breakdown of expenditure

    Senior Management Services conference

    R287 879.18

    Venues: R 145 052.18

    Catering: R 80 150.00

    Entertainment: R 25 000.00

    Management

    Fee: R 37 677.00

    Public Service Week conference

    R582 559.00

    Venues: R 547 560.00

    Catering: R 34 999.00

    Employment Equity conference

    R163 290.00

    Venues: R 150 860.00

    Catering: R 12 430.00

    Batho Pele Forum

    R582 559.00

    Venues: R 582 559.00

    National Labour Relations Forum

    R 40 810.00

    Venues: R 40 810.00

    TOTAL

    R1 657 097.18

    (a)(ii) The breakdown of the conference expenditure during the 2012/13 financial year is as follows:

    Conference

    (b)(i)

    Amount spent

    (b)(ii)

    Breakdown of expenditure

    Women's Day conference

    R 111 560.40

    Venues: R 111 560.40

    Senior Management Services conference

    R 311 711.96

    Venues: R 303 102.34

    Catering: R 8 609.62

    Public Service Women in Management Day

    R 25 650.00

    Venues: R 25 650.00

    Men's Forum

    R 36 630.00

    Venues: R 36 630.00

    Sexual Harassment in the Public Service conference

    R 77 193.00

    Venues: R 77 193.00

    Labour Relations Forum

    R 100 050.00

    Venues: R 96 000.00

    Catering: R 4 050.00

    GITO Council Annual General meeting

    R 493 541.66

    Venues: R 208 991.66

    Catering: R 59 550.00

    Accommodation: R 225 000.00

    Batho Pele Forum

    R 120 027.00

    Venues: R 120 027.00

    HIV Counselling and Testing conference

    R1 825 575.00

    Renting and

    Hiring: R1 670 575.00

    TOTAL

    R3 501 939.02

    CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE INNOVATION (CPSI)

    (a)(ii) The Centre for Public Service Innovation spent the following amount in respect of the Annual Public Sector Innovation Conference:

    (aa) R1.466 million in the 2009-10 financial year

    (bb) R1.185 million in the 2010-11 financial year

    (cc) R1.004 million in the 2011-12 financial year

    (dd) R1.113 million in the 2012-13 financial year

    b(i) and (ii) the breakdown of the expenditure for the Annual Public Sector Innovation Conference is:

    Expenditure item

    2009-10

    R'000

    2010-11

    R'000

    2011-12

    R'0000

    2012-13

    R'000

    Venues and Facilities (inclusive of venue hire, catering, standard conference equipment )

    1 024

    868

    733

    536

    Sound and Stage

    166

    228

    246

    279

    Printing and Publication

    111

    63

    18

    218

    Professional Service: Events Coordinators

    80

    Marketing (advertisements)

    165

    Stationery

    26

    PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ACADEMY (PALAMA)

    The response in respect of conferences hosted by PALAMA over the four specified financial years is attached:

    PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (PSC)

    The Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent Constitutional body, and its budget is appropriated via the Minister of Public Service and Administration.

    The total amount spent on conferences in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11, (cc) 2011-12 and (dd) 2012-13 financial years and (b) what (i) amount was spent is follows:

    Description

    2009/10

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    R'

    R'

    R'

    R'

    Monitoring and Evaluation Conference (SAMEA) – Co-hosted

    -

    600 000.00

    -

    -

    4th National Anti-Corruption Summit

    -

    -

    499 956.72

    -

    International Conference on National Evaluation Capacities (UNDP Conference)

    -

    -

    35 000.00

    -

    Labour Relations Conference

    384 736.88

    Total:

    -

    600 000.00

    919 693.60

    -

    GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES MEDICAL SCHEME (GEMS)

    (a)(i) Not applicable to GEMS

    (a)(ii)(aa) R828 000 (2009)

    (a)(ii)(bb) R1 607 000 (2010)

    (a)(ii)(cc) R1 543 000 (2011)

    (a)(ii)(dd) R2 101 000 (2012)

    (b)(i) NA

    (b)(ii) NA

    STATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AGENCY (SITA)

    (aa) R16 871 036.00

    (bb) R15 142 354.19

    (cc) R16 099 013.12

    (dd) R15 605 953.06

    See attached tabled

    Reply received: July 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1100

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 17 MAY 2013

    Mr S Esau (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) What total amounts has (a) her department and (b) each specified entity reporting to her spent on (i) print and (ii) broadcast advertising in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11, (cc) 2011-12 and (dd) 2012-13 financial years;

    (2) in each case, (a)(i) by which radio or television station were the advertisements broadcast and (ii) in which newspapers were the advertisements published in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11, (cc) 2011-12 and (dd) 2012-13 financial years and (b) at what cost in each specified case? NW1333E

    REPLY

    DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION (DPSA)

    (1) (i) The Department of Public Service and Administration spent on print in:

    (aa) 2009-10 : R4 255 587.41

    (bb) 2010-11: R1 903 663.00

    (cc) 2011-12: R 500 000.00

    (dd) 2012-13: R6 891 651.99

    (ii) The Department of Public Service and Administration spent on broadcast advertising in:

    (aa) 2009-10: R2 814 862.75

    (bb) 2010-11: R3 350 721.30

    (cc) 2011-12: R0.00

    (dd) 2012-13: R4 159 318.73

    (2) (aa) 2009/10 PRINT, (aa) 2009/10 BROADCAST; (bb) 2010/11 PRINT; (bb) 2010/11 PRINT; (bb) 2010/11 BROADCAST; (cc) 2011/12 PRINT; (dd) 2012/13 PRINT; (dd) 2012/13 BROADCAST see attached REPLY

    STATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AGENCY (SITA)

    (1)

    (aa) (i) R1 228 491.00

    (ii) R132 385.00

    (bb) (i) R978 567.00

    (ii) R100 000.00

    (cc) (i) R1 234 318.00

    (ii) R745 664.48

    (dd) (i) R3 581 740.00

    (ii) n/a

    (2)

    (aa) (i) Summit TV

    (ii) Business Times, Effective E-Gov, Beyond Vision, Delivery Magazine, Service Leadership in Local Government, Sawubona, Sunday Times and IT Web Iweek.

    (bb) (i) Online Advert at King Shaka International Airport

    (ii) Sawubona, Business Day, Mail & Guardian, City Press and Sunday Times.

    (cc) (i) Global Access Telecommunications Services South Africa (PTY) Ltd.

    (ii) Business Day, Business Times, City Press, Sawubona, Sowetan, Independent Newspapers, Media24 (PTY) Ltd.

    (dd) (i) n/a

    (ii) CEO Communications, Ndalo Communications (PTY) Ltd.

    PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ACADEMY (PALAMA)

    The response in respect of amounts spent on print advertising over the four specified financial years is reflected hereunder. Note that there have not been any radio or television advertisements.

    FINANCIAL YEAR

    TOTAL AMOUNT

    BREAKDOWN OF ADVERTISEMENT(S)

    2009/10

    R611, 472.61

    Sowetan

    R 10,682.76

    Mail & Guardian

    R 71,352.60

    Sunday Times

    R321,053.77

    City Press/ Rapport

    R154,853.52

    Business Day

    R 18, 237.96

    The Star

    R 32,686.63

    Pretoria News

    R 2,605.37

    2010/11

    R740, 218.25

    Sunday Times

    R323,284.80

    City Press/ Rapport

    R292,149.06

    The Star

    R106,740.09

    Pretoria News

    R18,044.30

    2011/12

    R456 406.66

    Sowetan

    R 39,619.80

    Sunday Times

    R147,338.53

    City Press/ Rapport

    R118,063.33

    The Star

    R 5,642.00

    New Agenda Magazine

    R 22, 743.00

    Public Sector Magazine

    R123, 000.00

    2012/13

    R167 547.64

    Sowetan

    R 17,442.00

    Sawubona Magazine

    R123, 000. 00

    Sowetan/Star

    R 27, 105.64

    CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE INNOVATION (CPSI)

    (1) (b) The Centre for Public Service Innovation incur expenses on (i) print advertising as follows:

    (aa) 2009-10: R262406,04

    (bb) 2010-11: R0

    (cc) 2011-12: R0

    (dd) 2012-13: R140 220,00

    and did not incur any cost on (ii) broadcast advertising in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11, (cc) 2011-12 and (dd) 2012-13 financial years;

    (2) The Centre for Public Service Innovation did not (a)(i) use any radio or television broadcast for advertisements and(ii) the following newspapers were used in the respective years to publish the CPSI's annual events:

    (aa) 2009-10 financial year – City Press, Mail and Guardian and Gaffeney's Local Government in SA

    (bb) 2010-11 financial year – None

    (cc) 2011-12 financial year – None

    (dd) 2012-13 financial year – Mail and Guardian

    and (b) at what cost in each specified case was as follows:

    2009-10 financial year – City Press (R125 213.04), Mail and Guardian (R39 393.00) and Gaffeney's Local Government in SA (R97 800.00)

    2010-11 financial year – No expenses incurred

    2011-12 financial year – No expenses incurred

    2012-13 financial year – Mail and Guardian (R140 220.00)

    GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES MEDICAL SCHEME (GEMS)

    (1)(a) Not applicable to GEMS

    (1)(b)(i) No printing advertising was done

    (1)(b)(ii)(aa) R1 112 107 (2009)

    (1)(b)(ii)(bb) R1 314 000 (2010)

    (1)(b)(ii)(cc) R3 793 000 (2011)

    (1)(b)(ii)(dd) R4 990 000 (2012)

    (2)(a)(i) Ukhozi FM, Motsweding FM, Thobela FM, Lesedi FM, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Jacaranda FM, RSG, Radio Pulpit &SAFM

    (2)(a)(ii)(aa) No newspaper adverts were done

    (2)(a)(ii)(bb) No newspaper adverts were done

    (2)(a)(ii)(cc) No newspaper adverts were done

    (2)(a)(ii)(dd) No newspaper adverts were done

    (2)(b) Not applicable

    PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (PSC)

    The Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent Constitutional body, and its budget is appropriated via the Minister of Public Service and Administration.

    (1) The total amount spent by the PSC on –

    (i) print (includes printing of reports) in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11, (cc) 2011-12 and (dd) 2012-13 financial years is as follows:

    2009/10

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    R'000

    R'000

    R'000

    R'000

    3,591

    2,835

    3,138

    3,379

    and (ii) broadcast advertising in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11, (cc) 2011-12 and (dd) 2012-13 financial years is Nil.

    (2) (a)(i) No radio or television station were used to broadcast any advertisements.

    (ii) The following newspapers were used to publish advertisements in the (aa) 2009-10, (bb) 2010-11, (cc) 2011-12 and (dd) 2012-13 financial years:

    2009/10

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    Newspaper

    Newspaper

    Newspaper

    Newspaper

    Sunday Times

    Sunday Times

    Sunday Times

    Sunday Times

    City Press

    Mail and Guardian

    City Press

    City Press

    Diamond Field Advertiser

    Daily Dispatch

    Cape Argus

    Diamond Field Advertiser

    Daily Dispatch

    Free State Express

    Free State Express

    Sowetan

    Ilanga News

    Ilanga News

    Ilanga News

    Mpumalanga News

    Sowetan

    Cape Argus

    Mafikeng Mail Review

    Mafikeng Mail Review

    The costs (b) for publishing advertisements were as follows:

    2009/10

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    R'000

    R'000

    R'000

    R'000

    305

    466

    348

    990

    Reply received: July 2013

    QUESTION NO.: 1055

    DATE OF PUBLICATION: 17 MAY 2013

    Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

    (1) Which directors-general and senior staff, in all government departments, have not declared all their financial interests as at 26 April 2013;

    (2) (a) how many performance contracts with directors-general in each department have not been signed as at 26 April 2013 and, in each case, (b) what are the names of these directors-general? NW1284E

    REPLY

    (1) Financial Disclosure Forms of Directors-General and other senior managers in government departments for the period 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 were supposed to reach the relevant EAs by 30 April 2013. Copies of these forms had to be submitted to the Public Service Commission (PSC) by the due date of 31 May 2013. The PSC is currently compiling a Fact Sheet in compliance with the Financial Disclosure Framework. This Fact Sheet will contain information on the forms received and those outstanding. Therefore, the information requested by the Honourable member will be contained in the Public Service Commission's report anticipated to be tabled in Parliament by the end of August 2013.

    (2) The due date for filing the performance agreements (PAs) of all Heads of Department for the 2013/2014 financial year was end of June 2013. The PSC is currently preparing a Factsheet on Compliance with the Filing of Performance Agreements of HoDs and its report will be tabled in Parliament by end of August. The same will be made available to me around that time.

    Furthermore, the Public Service Commission (PSC) monitors the (PAs) of (HoDs) in the national and provincial spheres of government. In this regard the PSC maintains a database of the PAs of HoDs which are filed by HoDs and their Executive Authorities (EAs).

    In terms of Chapter 4 of the Senior Management Service (SMS) Handbook, all senior managers (including HoDs) in the Public Service should conclude PAs with their supervisors by the end of May of each financial year. In the case of HoDs, EAs should then file the PAs of their HoDs with the PSC by the end of June. Newly appointed SMS members should conclude their PA within the first three months after assuming duty and in the case of HoDs those PAs should immediately be filed with the PSC.