Question & Replies No 1126 to 1150

2009-10-01

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[PMG note: Replies are inserted as soon as they are provided by the Minister]

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NUMBER: 1149

QUESTION NUMBER: 2 97 Question Transferred from Written to Oral Reply Upon (Rule 117)

DATE FOR PUBLICATION: 11 SEPTEMBER 2009

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 8 DECEMBER 2009

MR MJ ELLIS (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY:

Whether the Presidency uses temporary employment services and/or labor brokers; if so, (a) why, (b) how many positions have been filled by temporary employment services in the (i) 2006-2007, (ii) 2007-2008 and (iii) 2008-2009 financial years, (c) what percentage of the total staff complement did temporary employment services contribute in each of these years and (d) how much money has been spent on temporary employment services in each year?

REPLY:

The Presidency is not using labour brokers and has not used any during the period in question.

QUESTION NO. 1148

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 16

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11 September

Ms M R Shinn (DA) to ask the Minister of Tourism:

Whether his department uses temporary employment services and/or labour brokers; if so, (a) why, (b) how many positions have been filled by temporary employment services in the (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09 financial years, (c) what percentage of the total staff complement did temporary employment services contribute in each of these years and (d) how much money has been spent on temporary employment services per year?

NW1482E

MS M R SHINN (DA)

SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS

1148. THE MINISTER OF TOURISM ANSWERS:

The Department of Tourism does not make use of employment services / labour brokers.

Question 1147

Mr A P van der Westhuizen (DA) asked the Minister of Trade and Industry:

Reply:

Yes, the Department of Trade and Industry does make use of temporary employment services.

(a) Temporary Employment Services are used for short term project related work or replacing employees absent for extended periods such as maternity leave and sick leave.

(b)-(d) The Department is currently collating the information and once finalised, will submit the information to the National Assembly.

QUESTION NO 1146

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: THURSDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2009

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2009 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 16 – 2009)

Mr I M Ollis (DA) asked the Minister of Transport:

NW1480E

REPLY:

The Minister of Transport:

Yes, the Department of Transport (DoT) uses temporary employment services, on a very limited scale, i.e. by means of temporary placements from recruitment agencies.

(a) The DoT appointed temporary employees for the following reasons:-

ü To assist with the high work load;

ü lack of funded posts, especially in the support services in the DoT; and

ü for the continuity of service delivery in the DoT.

(b) No position was filled by temporary employments. Temporary placements from recruitment agencies are funded from savings in lieu of vacant posts.

(d) The expenditure is as indicated in the table below.

Temporary employment services

(i)

2006-2007

(ii)

2007-2008

(iii)

2008-2009

Total

employ-ees

Total cost per annum

% of total staff

Total employ-ees

Total cost per annum

% of total staff

Total employ-ees

Total cost per annum

% of total staff

Recruitment Agencies (labour brokers)

R64,608.78

0.16%

R403,026.90

0.75%

R419,752.67

0.45%

QUESTION NO 1145

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 11 SEPTEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 16)

1145. Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:

Whether her department uses temporary employment services and/or labour brokers; if so, (a) why, (b) how many positions have been filled by temporary employment services in the (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09 financial years, (c) what percentage of the total staff complement did temporary employment services contribute in each of these years and (d) how much money has been spent on temporary employment services in each year? NW1479E

REPLY:

(a) Yes, My Department does make use of the services of labour brokers from time to time to ensure that the required skills are sourced when needed in order not to compromise project construction. It should also be mentioned that the utilisation of labour brokers is the last resort when all other measures have failed to provide the required skills. The general policy regarding local labour recruitment is to establish a labour desk with a steering committee for each construction site. Local communities are strongly represented in these forums and they are relied upon to provide personnel, both skilled and unskilled in accordance with project requirements.

Furthermore, My Department views the current discussions around the use of labour brokers very seriously and has phased out this practice. The National Water Resources Infrastructure Branch is engaging with the Department of Public Works on developing alternative labour usage on its infrastructure projects, i.e. Expanded Public Works Programme.

(b)

	Financial Year	Total personnel by labour broker (of the Total Workforce)
(b)(i)	2006 - 2007	83
(b)(ii)	2007 - 2008	91
(b)(iii)	2008 - 2009	211

(c)

Financial Year	Total percentage of staff complement (of the Total Workforce)
2006 - 2007	4%
2007 - 2008	3%
2008 - 2009	5%

(d)

Financial Year	Total money spend on labour supplied through labour broker
2006 - 2007	R 9 211 033.96
2007 - 2008	R 13 569 619.17
2008 - 2009	R 18 797 120.40

QUESTION NO 1143

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: THURSDAY, 08 OCTOBER 2009

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2009 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 16 – 2009)

Mr M S F de Freitas (DA) asked the Minister of Transport:

(1) Whether any processes and procedures are in place to ensure that tenders are not awarded to companies owned by staff members of his department; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether tenders have performance level and termination clauses should such levels not be met; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1477E

REPLY:

The Minister of Transport:

(1) The Department of Transport (DoT) makes use of the Kredit Web Database of Experian Business Information whereby all company details such as names, identification numbers and addresses of active principals are verified prior to the awarding of bids.

The standard bidding document SBD 4 (declaration of interest) is also attached to all requests for proposals and if not duly completed and signed by the prospective bidders they are automatically disqualified.

A Bid Adjudication Certificate whereby all members of the relevant Evaluation and Bidding Committees are required to declare any interests they have in respect of the proposals are also tabled.

(2) The scope of work (performance levels) forms part of all Terms of Reference and the prescribed General Conditions of Contract, which include termination clauses, forms part of all requests for proposals. In specific cases Special Conditions of Contract are drawn up by the DoT's Legal Services that include more detailed requirements relating to performance levels and termination clauses.

QUESTION NO. 1142

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 16 of 2009

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11 September 2009

Mr J Schmidt (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:

(1) Whether an environmental impact study was done before approximately 120 RDP (Reconstruction and Development programme) houses that were built next to Rietriver near Edenburg, Free State on the Butani Missionary; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether she has been informed that there are no provision for sewage or rubbish disposal; if so, what plans are in place to address these problems?

NW1475E

MR J SCHMIDT (DA)

SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS

1142. THE MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ANSWERS:

(1) Yes, an environmental impact assessment application was submitted to the then Free State Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Reference Number - EM1/2(c)/00/98) in terms of Regulations R 1182 and R 1183 of the Environmental Conservation Act, Act 73 of 1989, as the competent authority to consider the application. The application entailed the construction of 200 houses. It was authorised and a record of decision (ROD) issued by the MEC on 26 February 2001 to the Bethany Communal Property Association. Special conditions of approval outline provision of basic services which refer to water, electricity, telecommunications and sewerage.

(2) No, as indicated above, the ROD was issued by the Free State Provincial MEC for Environmental Affairs and Tourism. All specific issues regarding the ROD should be addressed to the MEC. The Departments of Water and Environmental Affairs will only be involved once the applicant applies for a sewerage treatment works. The ROD makes it clear that should an on-site landfill be preferred, proper application procedures should be followed. The Free Stale Province will be the competent authority to consider such an application.

QUESTION NO 1141

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 11 SEPTEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 16)

1141. Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:

(1) What, with reference to her reply to Question 542 on 25 August 2009, was the purpose of the luncheon in the restaurant of the Marks Building after the budget debate on Water Affairs on 24 June 2009;

(2) whether her department funded the luncheon; if not, who funded it; if so, what was the cost of the luncheon? NW1474E

REPLY:

(1) The purpose of the luncheon was to introduce the Deputy Minister and I to the Water Sector Stakeholders and to thank them for their participating at the budget vote session, also, to request their continued support to the Sector throughout our term of office.

(2) Yes, the luncheon was co-funded by My Department and Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA). The total cost of the luncheon was R62 335.40, of which My Department contributed R21 000.00 and TCTA R41 355.40.

QUESTION 1140

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 04/09/09

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 12-2009)Mr D C Smiles (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:

Whether her department provides (a) basic health, (b) hearing and/or (c) sight tests to school learners; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (i) in what grades are these tests conducted and (ii) what budget was made available for the provision of such tests in each of the three most recent financial years for which information is available? NW1473E

REPLY:

(a) The Department has adopted a holistic approach to the early identification of barriers to learning by conducting provincial campaigns termed Lethimpilo Campaign. One of the key strength of the campaign is that it provides an integrated service delivery to school communities. Through this initiative, various potential barriers to learning, beyond health, are also identified and addressed through partnership with other government departments and civil society.

(b) and (c) Services provided include health screening of learners (visual, auditory, oral as well as assessing immunization status), birth registration (Department of Home Affairs), social security (Department of Social Development), food production (Department of Agriculture), and sports and recreation amongst others. Learners, as well as community members who are screened receive on-site treatment where possible. Referrals are also made to local institutions for further assessment and management.

(i) The programme has targeted at least 10,000 Grade 4 learners per province. In 2007, the campaign was conducted in FS, MP, LP and NW provinces. In 2008, the campaign was extended to NC and EC.

(ii) Table 1 depicts the budget allocations for the screening activities over the years 2007-2009 for which information is available.

Table 1: Budget allocations for school health screening, Health Promotion Directorate

Financial Year	2007/8	2008/9	2009/10
Amount	R5.6m	R2.8m	R2.5m

Budgetary challenges have limited the full reach of this initiative. Therefore, in an effort to increase the reach of, and to institutionalise health screening within the education system, the Department is presently working in collaboration with the Department of Health and other key stakeholders, to source further funds and to develop an implementation plan.

QUESTION 1139

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 04/09/09

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 12-2009)

Mr D C Smiles (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:

(1) How many educators were employed in each province in each of the three most recent financial years for which information is available;

(2) how many days in total were taken by educators as (a) ordinary leave, (b) special leave and (c) sick leave in each of the three most recent financial years for which information is available? NW1472E

REPLY:

(1) The number of educators employed in each province in each of the three most recent financial years for which information is available

Province	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09
EC	65 314	62 167	64 565
FS	23 275	22 734	23 295
GP	46 370	49 916	50 715
KZN	81 548	84 100	84 977
LP	55 128	56 546	56 432
MP	30 922	31 485	32 087
NW	31 346	26 117	25 428
NC	6 562	8 193	8 428
WC	28 654	24 895	25 522
Totals	369119	366 153	371 449

(2) The number days in total taken by educators as (a) ordinary leave, (b) special leave and (c) sick leave for which information is available at the time of this response is for 2008/09 financial year

Category Description	TOTAL
Sick-full pay (workdays)	79 848
Special (work days)	83 16
Vacation - full pay (work days)	131 83
Total	101 347

Question no:1138 / NW 1471 E

Date Submitted: 05/11/ 2009

Mr Lance Greyling (ID) to ask Minister of Labour:

1) What is the current vacancy rate of senior staff in the office of the Compensation Commission;

2) Can the Minister confirm or deny that it is currently taking between 10 – 14 days for a Letter of Good Standing to be issued;

3) Can the Minister confirm of deny that it is currently taking between 7 -24 days to register a new company with the Commission;

4) How long does it take for the average workmen's compensation claim to be processed;

5) Would the Minister like to comment on the matter?

The Honourable Minister of Labour replied:

1) The following is the status of vacancies at a Senior Management level;

No of vacancies

Q 1

SR level

Q 1

No. Advertised

Q 2 (a)

Expected to be filled by Dec 2009

Q 2 (b)

Remarks

Vacancy Rate

SR 13 Executive Manager

I x EM has accepted offer to start 1/11/09

12.5%

SR 12 Manager

3 X Managers to be filled by 31/03/2009

2) A Letter of Good Standing is issued by the Compensation Fund to employers who comply with the requirements of the COID Act and who are not in default with payment of their assessments.

Letters of good standing are issued immediately at the Compensation Fund's walk-in centre, or within 72 hours if faxed.

Reply to question 1138 approved by Minister.

3) The current business processes of the Compensation Fund allows for registration of employers to be done within a two days of submission of relevant documentation and this is dependent on the information provided by the employer at the time of registration. The registration process involves the capturing of employer details, which include the name of the employer/directors, the type of business, number of employees and payroll details in order to determine the assessment rate for the employer and the assement payable by the employer.

Whilst there may be delays in registering company's with the Compensation Fund, these are mainly caused by employers not co-operating with the Fund by providing incomplete registration forms or incomplete or no relevant supporting documents submitted with registration forms.

4) Claims with complete documentation are paid, on average, within 90 days. However, some claims do take longer due to continued medical attention, the injury not having stabilised or due to outstanding information from medical provider, employers and employees.

5) Despite the challenges faced by the organisation, progress has been made in various areas. The organisation has developed strategic short and medium term interventions to address key focus areas including improving the internal control environment, process improvement and compliance. The Fund has completed its business process optimisation and these have been benchmarked. The senior management and middle management components in the organisation have been strengthened, while processes are underway to fill the remaining vacancies. Benefits paid to stakeholders have increased from R1,298 billion in 2007/8 to R2,929 billion in the 2008/9 financial year.

QUESTION NUMBER: 1137

1137. Mr L W Greyllng (ID) to ask the Minister of Energy:

Whether she intends changing Eskom's subsidy policy in order to speed up the roll-out of solar water heaters; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply

Yes. The subsidy policy will be centralised and applied under a "standard offer" for solar water heating. In terms of this policy, consumers will be offered an incentive (called the standard offer) in respect of every kWh of electricity displaced through the introduction of solar water heaters. The incentive will be funded from the electricity tariff, at a level that is lower than the marginal cost of funding a new coal, fired power station.

QUESTION 1135

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 16-2009]

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11 September 2009

1135. Mrs P de Lille (ID) to ask the Minister Rural Development and Land Reform:

(1) (a) What are the reasons for the delay in processing certain land claims (details furnished), (b) when will his department complete the processing of these land claims and (c) what has been the reason for the communication breakdown between the Government's appointed attorney (name furnished) and the Land Claims Commission;

(2) whether the Commission is finalising the claims as a matter of priority following the inordinate delays; if not, why not; if so, what ate the relevant details?

NW1468E

THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:

(1)(a) The Regional Land Claims Commission: Eastern Cape (RLCC:EC) had to carry out further research as stipulated under section 12 of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 (Act No 22 of 1994) in order to establish the circumstances of the dispossession. A service provider was then appointed to acquire outstanding information on historical sales transactions from the archives in Cape Town which has now been obtained. Furthermore, the RLCC:EC appointed an independent service provider to conduct research on the rural claim for the Arendse family.

(b) March 2010.

(c) The Commission is not aware of any Government appointed attorney, or of any breakdown in communication between itself and Mr July, the service provider that it appointed to conduct research on the claim. In fact, the RLCC:EC is in contact with Mr July on a bi-weekly basis.

(2) Yes.These land claims are receiving priority in terms of research and validation. The research report was obtained by the service provider on 26 October 2009, and the preliminary findings of the report indicate that the claims on the two properties are non compliant due to the fact that the dispossession was not as a result of a racially based law. However, the RLCC:EC has indicated that a meeting has been scheduled for the second week of November 2009 with the claimants to discuss the findings of the report and to obtain additional supporting information, if available.

QUESTION NO 1134

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED:

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2009 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 16 – 2009)

Rev K R J Meshoe (ACDP) asked the Minister of Transport:

(1) Whether any plans are in place to remove Toyota panel vans which were converted into taxis; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether his department has instructed traffic officials to impound any other unsafe vehicles that are used to transport commuters; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) when was the instruction given and (b) what are the further relevant details?

NW1432E

REPLY:

The Minister of Transport:

(1) Since the media release of the situation of illegal panel van conversions, the Department of Transport (DoT) has put together three teams to deal with the matter urgently. The three teams comprise of a Data Team, a Technical Team and the Law Enforcement Team.

The Data Team is currently busy with a data filtration process that looks at all panel van conversions from 04 September 2006, the date of publication of the Taxi Recapitalisation Project (TRP) specifications, and is comparing this with existing operating licenses linked to any of these vehicles. The data is also compared with that of Manufacturers, Importers and Builders (MIB's) to establish the number of vehicles converted. All other conversions for other purposes such as emergency vehicles and goods carrying vehicles are excluded from this list. The process starts with establishing the current use of the vehicle and then excluding those not affected by the TRP.

This is quite an intense process with its own challenges. It is anticipated that this process will be finalized in approximately two weeks.

The Technical Team is made up of structural engineering experts from the motor industry and the banks, as well as experts from the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS). The taxi industry is also represented by SANTACO. The expected outcome from this team is a manual that stipulates the necessary modifications required to the panel van conversion to ensure TRP compliance. This means that the panel van will undergo the necessary testing and the results thereof will indicate the type of modifications that need to be done.

Three of the four safety tests have been concluded for the roll-over protection, type II brake test and the tilt test. All three of these tests have been successful and this means that the panel van in its current state complies with these requirements and no modifications are needed. The seat anchorage test is still in progress.

The manual will include all the other comfort requirements such as seat width, roof height, etc.

All modification costs for vehicles that are financed will be covered by the financial institution, but vehicles that have been paid up or bought for cash may require funding and the Department of Transport is engaging financial institutions in this regard.

(2) Without the actual statistics of the number of affected vehicles and the exact extent of the speculated lack of safety on these conversions it has become challenging for the Department of Transport to impound the vehicles.

Therefore the third team that was formed was the Law Enforcement Team. This team will work on an informed basis and will be assisted by the Data Team in terms of focusing on affected vehicles.

Once the technical specifications have been completed and the data filter finalized all affected owners will be contacted and requested to modify the vehicles accordingly. There is a proposal for a six (6) months period to be allowed for this process to be finalized.

Thereafter, intense law enforcement programs will be rolled out in all nine provinces in conjunction with the Road Traffic Management Corporation's (RTMC) rolling enforcement plan and the details of operators who did not comply and effect the necessary modifications will be made available to the Law Enforcement Team and these vehicles will be impounded until such time as arrangements - both financial as well as the physical modifications - have been secured.

(a) and (b) Fall away.

QUESTION NO 1133

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: THURSDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2009

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2009 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 16 – 2009)

Rev K R J Meshoe (ACDP) asked the Minister of Transport:

(1) Whether the implementation of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system is implemented according to the plan envisaged by the Government; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether, in light of the violence and intimidation in Gauteng, additional steps will be taken to ensure the (a) safety of commuters and bus drivers and (b) the overall success of the system; if not, why not; if so, what steps in each case?

NW1431E

REPLY:

The Minister of Transport:

(1) The Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) projects are mandated by both the Public Transport Strategy and Action Plan of 2007 and the National Land Transport Act, 2009 (Act No 5 of 2009). Both of these call for Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks in the larger cities of South Africa. BRT projects are a major component of Integrated Networks.

(2) (a) and (b)

In the run up to the launch of the BRT on the 30^th August 2009, a comprehensive safety and security plan was put in place by the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and supported by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Gauteng Department of Community Safety. This multifaceted plan included pedestrian safety, safety of passengers and the protection of BRT assets (stations and buses). A disaster management plan was also put in place by the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Service. After the shooting incident on 01 October 2009, security around BRT stations and buses was enhanced. The SAPS and the CoJ do regular threat and risk analyses to determine the level and kinds of interventions required to protect the BRT system.

QUESTION NO 1132

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 11 SEPTEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 16 - 2009)

Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Police:

(1) Whether any police members of the (a) Kempton Park, (b) Norkem Park, (c) O R Tambo, (d) Sebenza, (e) Edenvale, (f) Bedfordview, (g) Primrose, (h) Rabie Ridge and (I) Olifantsfontein police stations underwent fitness assessments and training (i) in (aa) 2007 and (bb) 2008 and (ii) during the period 1 January 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if not, why not; if so, (aa) how many in each case, (bb) how many failed their assessments and (cc) what action was taken to rectify the matter;

(2) whether there are minimum requirements for police members undergoing fitness (a) assessments and (b) training; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1382E

REPLY:

Yes.

(1)(i) (aa) and (bb) and (ii) (aa) and (bb) The total number of members trained per specific requested police stations per calendar year in Street Survival Training, also indicating members found not yet competent during training and assessment, is attached.

(ii)(cc) The members who were found not yet competent were guided to undergo the In-Service Training Firearms Training (1 week duration) to bring them up to standard.

(2)(a) The minimum requirements for police members undergoing fitness assessments is contained in a document - "Implementation Health Fitness and Street Survival: Standards for the Required Times to Complete the Obstacle Course: SAPS", which was communicated to all Divisions and Provinces on 8 June 2008. The implementation date of this standard was from 1 August 2008.

The following are the new standards per age group that must be used to determine successful completion of the obstacle course.

Age group	Recommended standard Males	Recommended standard Females
18-30	3 min 15 sec	3 min 45 sec
31-40	3 min 30 sec	4 min
41-50	3 min 45 sec	4 min 15 sec
51-60	4 min	4 min 30 sec

(2)(b) An entry level requirement has been set and implemented for police members undergoing training and this is complied with for the Basic Training Learning Programme for all new recruits. This office is still in the process to finalize and implement the fitness requirements for all other South African Police Service members.

The following are the new standards per age group that must be used to determine successful completion of the obstacle course.

Age group	Recommended standard Males	Recommended standard Females
18-30	3 min 15 sec	3 min 45 sec
31-40	3 min 30 sec	4 min
41-50	3 min 45 sec	4 min 15 sec
51-60	4 min	4 min 30 sec

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTION 1131

WRITTEN REPLY 11 SEPTEMBER 2009

1131. Rev K R J Meshoe (ACDP) to ask the Minister of Public Works:

Whether the 500 000 jobs envisaged by December 2009 include temporary job opportunities; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) how many permanent jobs have been created so far as compared to temporary job opportunities and (b) in which sectors? NO1284E

Reply

a) The goal of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in Phase 2 is to create 4.5 million work opportunities for poor and unemployed people in South Africa so as to contribute to halving unemployment by 2014, through the delivery of public and community services.

The 500 000 target set for December 2009 will include both short and ongoing work opportunities for the unemployed, while ensuring that workers gain skills while they work and increase their capacity to earn an income in future. Due to the nature of EPWP projects in some sectors, work opportunities will inevitably vary in duration, e.g. a low volume road that is built over a period of 8-9 months. In the Social Sector, however, a work opportunity could be for two years and longer.

The first quarter results, i.e. for the period April to June 2009 indicate that more than 83 900 work opportunities have thus far been reported. The figure is very conservative and reflects poor and under-reporting on active projects across all three spheres of government.

The Minister has engaged and signed protocols that confirm the 500 000 December 2009 targets, as well as the five year targets for provinces and municipalities, with the Premiers and MECs of 8 out of 9 provinces. DPW technical teams have also been giving support to provinces and municipalities to ensure that the creation of work opportunities is prioritised in the design and implementation of projects across government.

b) The total number of work opportunities created under the programme for the 1^st quarter is outlined in the table below per sector.

Table 1: NET jobs per sector against total target for 2009-10

(1 Apr 2009 – 30 June 2009)

Sector	Targeted work opportunities [WO] for Year 1 (Apr 2008 – March 2009)	No	% of targeted WO
Infrastructure	300 000	59,579	20
Environment	150 000	13,960	9
Social	80 000	7,466	9
Non-state	20 000	2,909	15
Total	550 000	83,914	15

QUESTION NO: 1130
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 4 September 2009
QUESTION PAPER NO: 14
DATE OF REPLY: 16 October 2009
Mrs J D Kilian (Cope) to ask the Minister of Communication:

(1) Whether the Independent Broadcasting Authority of SA (Icasa) has amended certain sections of the Digital Migratory Regulations; if not, why not; if so, (a) which regulations were amended, (b) why were the amendments necessary and (c) what will the impact be on the time line and general implementation programme from analogue to digital broadcasting migration in South Africa;

(2) whether there will be any budgetary implications for Sentech as State-owned enterprise; if so, what will be the (a) nature and (b) extent of such implications;

(3) (a) how and (b) from which source will the resulting loss of revenue be compensated?

NW1395E

REPLY:

ICASA informed me as follows:

(1) The Digital Terrestrial Television Regulations were amended for further public consultation.

(a) The following regulations have been amended:

(i) Regulation 7

(ii) Regulation 10

(iii) Regulation 12

(b) The amendments were necessary due to legal issues raised by e-TV regarding the time frames as set out in the regulations. In particular, the amendments were necessary to create clarity in regard to the compliance period for the broadcasting services, considering that the dual illumination period started before the regulations were finalized. The Authority had suggested time frames and targets based on the dual illumination period as defined in the Ministerial Policy of 2008. The Ministerial policy set the dual illumination period from 01 November 2008 to 30 November 2011. e-TV argued that using these timelines in the regulations amount to suggesting that industry should comply retrospectively with liabilities in case they fail to comply.

e-TV also argued that the Authority should review the time set for broadcasters to submit their ECNS licensee who will operate the multiplexes. The Authority had initially suggested that this be done within 60 days of the finalization of the DTT regulations. e-TV's argument was that a shorter time frame will force them to contract with Sentech while they would prefer to seek an alternative provider depending on the price charged by potential competitors to Sentech. This provision has since been reviewed and aligned with the finalization of the broadcasting frequency plan which set out the actual technical parameters.

The Authority further considered recommendations regarding the broadcast of languages in the SABC bouquet. In the regulations, the Authority had proposed that each local content programme should be broadcast in multiple languages. The SABC submitted that it was not feasible for the public broadcaster to broadcast each individual programme in three languages. The Authority amended this regulation to allow further industry and public input. The new proposal suggests that the SABC should ensure that all languages are equitably distributed across the bouquet. The actual targets will be set out in the relevant licenses.

(c) The amendment to the regulations means that the rollout of commercial DTT will commence at the beginning of 2010. In the meantime, SABC, E-TV and M-net are continuing with the DTT trials which started in 2008.

(2) There will be no budgetary implications for Sentech due to the amendment to the regulations.

(3) Not applicable in view of the response in the above paragraph (3).

QUESTION NO 1129

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 4 SEPTEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 14 - 2009)

Mr D A Kganare (Cope) to ask the Minister of Police:

(1) Whether he is in possession of a list of corrupt Free State SA Police Service officers (details furnished); if so, what alleged corrupt activities are these police officials involved in;

(2) whether any action has been taken against these officials; if not, why not; if so, what action;

(3) whether he has a list of corrupt SA Police Service officers in other provinces; if so, how many are there per province;

(4) whether the corrupt police officials are still employed by the State; if so, why?

NW1394E

REPLY:

(1) Yes. Alleged corrupt activities police officials involved in:

Corrupt Activities	Police Officials involved
Fraud	9
Corruption	18
Aiding an escapee	1
Defeating the Ends of Justice	2

(2) Yes. Disciplinary action has been taken against these officials. The outcomes of the enquiries are as follows:

1. Pending - 8

2. Dismissal - 10

3. Not guilty - 1

4. Final Written Warning - 1

5. Withdrawn - 1

6. Dismissal Suspended - 7

7. R300 fine - 1

8. Dismissal suspended and Counselling - 1

(3) Yes.

Province/Division	Total	Province/Division	Total
Eastern Cape	14	North West	2
Gauteng	172	Northern Cape	1
KwaZulu-Natal	13	Career Management	1
Limpopo	14	Corporate Services	2
Mpumalanga	28	Detective Services	1
Western Cape	115	Total	363

(4) Yes. Some are still employed as they received other sanctions than dismissal and/or the cases are still pending as indicated below:

Province	Outcome	Total
Eastern Cape	R500 fine suspended 1 Pending 9 Not guilty 2 R500 fine & Dismissal suspended 1 Dismissal suspended 1	14
Gauteng	Not guilty 6 Pending 87 Final written warning and R500 fine 2 R500 fine suspended 1 Withdrawn due to insufficient evidence 3 Dismissal suspended 3 R500 fine 1	103
KwaZulu-Natal	R200 fine 2 Pending 6 Dismissal suspended 1 Final written warning 1 Withdrawn 1	11
Limpopo	Dismissal suspended 6 Final written warning 4 Pending 1 R500 fine 2	13
Mpumalanga	Pending 19 Withdrawn due to insufficient evidence 2 Dismissal suspended 2 R500 fine 1 R300 fine suspended 1	25
Western Cape	Withdrawn due to insufficient evidence 6 Not guilty 3 Pending 64 Dismissal suspended 12 Dismissal suspended and R500 fine 7 R500 fine 3 R300 fine 1 Final written warning 2 R500 fine & counselling 1 No steps taken 1 Dismissal suspended & R200 fine 2 R500 fine & written warning 1	103
Northern Cape	Pending 1	1
Corporate Services	Written warning 1 Dismissal suspended 1	2
Total		272

QUESTION NUMBER: 1127

1127. Mr P D Dexter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Energy:

(1) Whether her department studied the technology behind the new PS20 solar power plant located at the Solucar Platform, near Seville in Spain (details furnished); if not, why not; if so,

(2) Whether she will develop a multi-dimensional solar power plant; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply

(1) Not. Eskom has done substantial research work on Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) for the proposed 100 MW plant in the Northern Cape. The technology studied for the CSP is based on a Molten Salt Receiver System and not the new PS20. The reason for this technology choice that they have made is that it uses an indirect receiver that has the ability to generate power even at night.

The department has also done baseline studies for various renewable energy technologies, but excluding the new PS20. We will certainly look into this technology as well.

(2) The department does not develop power plants directly rather than developing legislation and policies that enable the private and public sectors (Independent Power Producers, Eskom) to implement the power projects. The tariff incentives provided under the Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (REFIT) scheme are intended to entice developers to produce solar energy, amongst other technologies, through whichever technology that they deem fit.

QUESTION NUMBER 1126

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 4 SEPTEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 14)

Mr P D Dexter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources:

Whether the computers purchased at the value of R50 million in the past four years by the previous joint Ministry of Minerals and Energy are to be inherited by her department; if not, (a) what computers are these, (b) how will it be apportioned and utilised and (c) what would happen to the R75 million that has been approved for further purchases of computers; if so, what will her department do with such an enormous computer capacity? NW1391E

REPLY

In actual fact, the Department of Minerals and Energy spending on computer equipment in the past four years was R 16,658,316.20 which comprises

R4, 843,902.99 for 2008/09;

R3, 527,433.27 for 2007/08;

R4, 023,517.27 for 2006/07 and

R4, 263,462.67 for 2005/06.

These amounts are also available in the audited Annual Financial Statements which are contained in the annual reports for the respective periods..

(a) The above amounts include the following major items

· Desktops and Laptops for use by departmental officials

· Servers and related infrastructure

· Printers and other computer equipment

(b) The Desktops and Laptops are allocated to positions which will continue to exist in the new Department of Mineral Resources and Department of Energy. This will therefore be apportioned and utilised in line with the new structures of the two departments. The existing servers will be allocated to either Mineral Resource or Energy based on the technical specifications and the requirements of each department

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO 1122

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 4 SEPTEMBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 14 - 2009)

Date reply submitted : 15 December 2009

Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Police:

(1) How many firearms were handed in by a certain organisation (name furnished) since the discontinuation of the armed struggle in the early nineties;

(2) whether all these firearms have been destroyed; if not, (a) why not, (b) how many are in storage and (c) where are these firearms being stored; if so, what are the relevant details;

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

NW1387E

REPLY:

(1) The issue of the illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives during the armed conflict which preceded the advent of democracy, and in reaction to that conflict, has been dealt with as follows:

(a) The President, under the Indemnity Act, 1990 (Act No. 35 of 1990), granted indemnity to any person who before 6 December 1993, was found in possession of firearms, ammunition or explosives and who possessed it in order to defend a community or part thereof. This was specifically aimed at members of self-defence units. Government Notice No. 2158, Government Gazette No. 16165, dated 7 December 1994.

(b) The illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives with

political motives were included in the lists of offences for which indemnity was granted, to persons who were members of the African National Congress, or if he or she was not a member, if he or she subscribed to the principles of peaceful solutions and developments, and has completed an application form.

(Government Notice No. R.936 of 24 April 1991, Government Gazette No. 13202, Dated 24 April 1991).

(c) The Deputy Minister of Law and Order declared an indemnity under the Arms and Ammunition Act, 1969, from 22 April 1994, until 25 April 1994. Government Notice No. 828, Government Gazette No. 15671, dated 22 April 1994.

(d) The Minister for Safety and Security, declared under the Arms and Ammunition Act, 1969, an indemnity, for the period from 15 October 1994, until 21 October 1994, in respect of arms and ammunition which were illegally possessed, and handed in at identified public venues. This indemnity related to the unrest at the time in Thokoza, Vosloosrust and Kathlehong. Government Notice No. 1799, Gazette No. 16034, dated 14 October 1994.

It is impossible after all these processes, which where not always linked to particular organisations; parties or individuals to respond to the question posed. During these processes firearms were handed in by all parties involved in and against the struggle for liberation.

(2) All firearms handed in or surrendered to the South African Police Service during the nineties have already been destroyed.

(3) No.

2009-10-01

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