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Friday, 02 March 2018]
No 1 - 2018] FIFTH SESSION, FIFTH LEGISLATURE
LEGISLATURE OF THE PROVINCE
OF THE EASTERN CAPE
______
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER
Note:
- Questions for oral reply will be printed in full in the Question Paper for the day for which they have been set down for reply.
- *Indicates a question for oral reply.
QUESTIONS FOR ORAL REPLY
FRIDAY, 02 MARCH 2018
Premier:
*1.Mr M Saziwa to ask the Premier:
Noting that Development Studies scholars are reported to indicate that research forms a firm basis for successful evidence-based planning and sustainable development of any nation:
(1) Whether his Office has any initiatives in place with a view to encouraging primary research by the provincial administration;
(2) what partnerships has his Office cultivated with tertiary institutions and industries with regard to the execution of primary research?
MEC’s:
*2. Mr P E van Vuuren to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) Whether he has been informed that learners at Sandisulwazi High School in Paterson in the Sarah Baartman District are allegedly not being given the right of being taught in their mother tongue which is Afrikaans; if not, why; if so,
(2) whether he can kindly (a) provide reasons as to why his Department allows this situation contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act no. 108 of 1996) where learners have the right to be taught in their mother tongue, (b) state when his Department envisages this issue will be resolved in the best interest of the learners, (c) state (i) when and (ii) how his Department envisages an appropriately qualified Afrikaans teacher will be appointed and (d) can he kindly provide timeframes for the action steps his Department envisages taking with a view to ensuring that the learners are taught in their mother tongue which is Afrikaans?
*3. Mr P E van Vuuren to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) Whether he has been informed of the alleged teacher shortages at schools in the province, if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,
(2) (a) what is the current shortage of teachers in schools in the province, (b) which subjects are experiencing the most vacancies, (c) how and (d) when his Department envisages the vacancies will be filled;
(3) (a) how his Department envisages learners are accommodated where overcrowding is experienced in school due to a shortage of teachers at school and (b) what is the current learner teacher ratio based on the current warm bodies within our schools?
*4. Ms J Cowley to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
Noting that the majority of newly qualified teachers from several of our tertiary institutions in the province are alleged not to be sufficiently qualified or skilled to teach effectively after graduating, which places an enormous burden on the Department of Education both logistically and financially as it impacts very negatively on our province’s performance in education:
(1) Whether his Department has any plans in place with a view to introducing a more effective screening process at tertiary facilities so that potential teaching students are discouraged from studying teaching simply as a fall back career;
(2) whether his Department has any plans in place to engage with the Department of Higher Education with regard to revising and upgrading the quality of training that university and college students receive when studying teaching;
(3) whether his Department has any plans afoot with a view to increasing and improving students’ practical teaching experiences by involving best practise schools in their programmes?
*5. Ms P Mpushe to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) Whether he can kindly provide details on the duration of the contracts awarded to consultants performing work for his Department;
(2) whether his Department has employed mechanisms with a view to ensuring a skills transfer from the contracted consultants to departmental officials?
*6. Ms P Mpushe to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
Noting that the National Department has implemented the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) whose aim is to effectively deliver on the eradication of mud-schools in the province, with particular reference to the former Transkei region:
(1) How does his Department envisage to manage the abovementioned process with a view to ensuring that newly built schools do not become white elephants after hand-over to communities;
(2) whether his Department has any plans in place with a view to extending this intervention to providing for boarding schools?
*7.Mr R S Stevenson to ask the MEC responsible for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism:
(1) How many suppliers to the province are owed money by provincial departments in excess of (i) 30, (ii) 60 or (iii) 90 days and over as at the end of December 2017;
(2) what is the total amount owed to suppliers by provincial departments in excess of the abovementioned period as at the end of December 2017;
(3) what is the breakdown, per department in respect of the amount owed in excess of the abovementioned period as at the latest specified date for which information is available;
(4) whether any provincial departments are experiencing problems in making timeous payments to suppliers; if so, (a) which departments and (b) what steps is his Department taking with a view to resolving the problems and can he kindly provide the relevant details in this regard?
*8. Ms J Cowley to ask the MEC responsible for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism:
Noting that the National Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is responsible for the removal of alien invasive species which are reportedly currently choking riverine valley systems throughout the province, and further noting that the province needs to support many new start-up Small, Medium and Macro Enterprises (SMMEs) in order to address the triple scourges of inequality, poverty and unemployment:
(1) Whether his Department has engaged with the National Department with a view to training and employing start-up SMME’s to remove alien invasive species in the province, as this would be an excellent long term job creator and would also restore our natural heritage and improve our ground water levels; if so,
(2) whether his Department has set any time frames with a view to rolling out such a programme in the province; if so, can he kindly provide the said time frames;
(3) whether his Department has investigated the by-product potential for the removed alien invasive, which could potentially create even more jobs; if not, why?
*9.Ms A N Ponco to ask the MEC responsible for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism:
With regard to the recent reports of the Auditor General into the provincial departments’ financial expenditure against their allocated budgets, whether his Department envisages looking specifically to those departments who did not receive clean audits and failed to utilise their allocated budget according to their Annual Performance Plans; if so, can he kindly provide details in this regard?
*10.Mr V Lwana to ask the MEC responsible for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism:
(1) With regard to the looming budget cuts, what strategies does his Department have in place with a view to continue assisting the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) with funding and support;
(2) what system does his Department have in place with a view to monitoring and evaluating that 30% of procurement across the board is awarded to young black business owners in the province?
*11. Ms C Barker to ask the MEC responsible for Health:
With reference to the community of Enon which allegedly relies on weekly Mobile Clinic Health Services in an allegedly impoverished area with reportedly very bad road infrastructure and which is reported to have recently received a new mobile clinic. However, it is alleged that no space is available for a consulting room and medical equipment, including drugs, also reported to have to be carried in and out of the room. The room that was used in the Enon Community Centre has reportedly suffered severe rain damage and has a large gaping hole in its ceiling. As the alleged collapsed ceiling now occupies most of the floor space it is reportedly difficult to find space to set up and space in which to consult patients and to dispense medicine:
(1) Whether she has been informed of the conditions in the abovementioned community; if so,
(2) what measures has her Department adopted with a view to finding a hygienic consulting room in the abovementioned facility; if not, what is the position in this regard;
(3) when her Department envisages to take steps with a view to identifying a suitable venue to be used for weekly consultations in the abovementioned facility?
*12.Mr S Magaqa to ask the MEC responsible for Human Settlements:
(1) Whether she has been informed of the contestation between a lady (name and details furnished for the purpose of the reply) and a gentleman (name and details furnished for the purpose of the reply) to site number 4433 in King Williams Town; if so,
(2) who is the rightful beneficiary to the site;
(3) in view of the report that the site was owned by an individual (name and details furnished for the purpose of the reply) before the control of his assets was awarded to the abovementioned lady upon his passing, what rights does the lady currently have to the abovementioned site?
*13.Mr S Magaqa to ask the MEC responsible for Human Settlements:
With reference to the Ndevana Housing Projects:
(1) When (a) was the initial completion date and (b) were all subsequent new deadlines for the project for (i) Ndevana 739 Housing Project, (ii) Ndevana 922 Phase 1 – 461 Housing Project, (iii) Ndevana 922 Phase 2 – 461 Housing Project and (iv) Ndevana Destitute Programme;
(2) how many units (a) has her Department built and (b) her Department envisages to be built to date as at the latest specified date for which information is available in each of the abovementioned projects;
(3) whether she can kindly provide a breakdown of the amount of houses her department has built per year, per abovementioned project;
(4) (a) what total amount of budget has her Department allocated in respect of the abovementioned projects and (b) how much has her Department spent per year since the start of the project for each of the projects above?
*14. Ms V Knoetze to ask the MEC responsible for Roads and Public Works:
Noting that there is allegedly little to no maintenance of the provincial roads and verges in the peri-urban areas of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM):
(1) When her Department envisages a contractor will be appointed with a view to carrying out routine roads and verge maintenance in terms of the provincial roads and verge network in the peri-urban areas of NMBMM;
(2) what total budget her Department envisages will be allocated for the maintenance of the provincial roads and verges network in the abovementioned municipality;
(3) whether she can kindly provide reasons as to why her Department did not approve an amount of R 168 million which was requested for the sufficient repair and maintenance of these roads in September 2017;
(4) what is her Department’s plan of action with a view to attending to the roads in the peri-urban area in order to ensure the safety of all road users;
(5) who will be liable for damage to vehicles due to the alleged poor condition of roads as a result of no maintenance on provincial roads and verges?
*15.Ms N Mvana to ask the MEC responsible for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform:
(1) Whether he has been informed of the looming water shortages in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality(NMBMM); if so,
(2) what interventions, if any, has his Office planned in preparation for the anticipated day zero;
*16.Ms N Mvana to ask the MEC responsible for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform:
Noting that, in light of the rife unemployment, many young people reportedly opt to venture into farming in order to sustain themselves:
(1) What plans does his Office have in place with a view to assisting young people who wish to be involved in commercial farming;
(2) what requirements his Office envisages to be met for young people to be eligible for financial support?
*17. Mr J P J Botha to ask the MEC responsible for Social Development:
Whether her Department has employed any social workers with disabilities in the (i) 2014/15, (ii) 2015/16, (iii) 2016/17 and (iv) 2017/18 financial years as at the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, (a) how many per year and (b) can she kindly provide the total number of disabled (i) males, (ii) females and (iii) youth per district in the province for each of the abovementioned years; if not, why?
*18. Mr J P J Botha to ask the MEC responsible for Social Development:
(1) Whether she can kindly provide a status quo report on the two contractual agreements by private homes that render various frail care services to older persons, namely the Life Health Group (PTY) LTD and Eastern Cape Frail Care;
(2) (a) how far is her Department with devising a safe and realistic migration plan with regard to dealing with the patients based at the two centres in question, (b) what is her Department’s timeframe to finalize the migration and (c) what is the total amount of unpaid invoices due to each of the abovementioned centres?
*19. Ms N Kontsiwe to ask the MEC responsible for Social Development:
(1) Whether she has been informed that two years ago, 18 minors were allegedly rescued from the controversial Seven Angels Church which is located in Ngcobo, and that the very same church was allegedly discovered to be housing the alleged suspected gunmen who are reported to have brutally murdered the Ngcobo policemen and soldier, wherein women and young girl children were reportedly discouraged from attending school; if so,
(2) can she kindly appraise the House of what (a) the status of the rescued minors is and (b) safety measures has her Department instilled with a view to ensuring that such abductions are tracked and nabbed?
*20. Ms N Kontsiwe to ask the MEC responsible for Social Development:
(1) Whether she can kindly appraise the House of the progress of her Department’s migration of the payments of social grants from Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) to the Post Office;
(2) whether her Department envisages any effect on the grant recipients during this process?
*21.Ms N Z Balindlela to ask the MEC responsible for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture:
(1) How many sports federations were in existence in the province as at the latest specified date for which information is available;
(2) what (a) amount has her Department allocated to each specified sports federation in the province in respect of the 2017/2018 financial year as at the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) what criteria does her Department use in determining whether a sports federation qualifies for funding or not;
(3) whether her Department monitors the utilization of funds allocated to sports federations; if not, why; if so, can she kindly provide the relevant details in this regard;
(4) whether sports federations in the province furnish her Department with annual financial statements; if not, why;
(5) (a) whether her Department has taken any steps with a view to ensuring that sports federations comply with the funding criteria; if not, why; if so, what steps and whether her department is experiencing any problem with regard to sports federations in the province; if so, can she kindly provide the relevant details in this regard?
*22. Ms N Mvana to ask the MEC responsible for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture:
Noting that the Eastern Cape Province is reportedly poised to be the mecca of Rugby, Cricket and Boxing:
(1) Whether her Department had any programmes in place with a view to reviving these flagship sporting codes in the last four years as at the latest specified date for which information is available; if so,
(2) what positive results has her Department’s programmes yielded?
*23. Mr R S Stevenson to ask the MEC responsible for Transport, Safety and
Liaison:
(1) How many police stations in the province have had guns stolen from them in the (i) 2015/16, (ii) 2016/17 and c) 2017/18 financial years as at the latest specified date for which information is available;
(2) whether she can kindly provide (a) the names of the stations involved and (b) the number of firearms stolen for each of the respective years mentioned above;
(3) how many members of the South African Police Services (SAPS) were killed or wounded in such attacks or robberies in the abovementioned years as at the latest specified date for which information is available;
(4) what steps has her Department taken with a view to upgrading security at vulnerable stations in the province;
(5) how many of the stolen firearms from SAPS stations has her Department recovered over the abovementioned years as at the latest specified date for which information is available?
*24.Mr M von Buchenroder to ask the MEC responsible for Transport, Safety and Liaison:
With reference to the article in the Daily Dispatch, “Years of Transport Hope Cut Dead” dated Tuesday, 27 February 2018: