8
Friday, 17 November 2017]
No 43 - 2017] FOURTH SESSION, FIFTH LEGISLATURE
LEGISLATURE OF THE PROVINCE
OF THE EASTERN CAPE
______
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER
Note:
1. 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.
2. *Indicates a question for oral reply.
QUESTIONS FOR ORAL REPLY
FRIDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2017
*1. Ms V Mvenya to ask the MEC responsible for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:
(1) Whether he has been informed that the community members of New Rest, ward 15 at Ingquza Hill Local Municipality are alleged to have been forcefully removed and their houses destroyed, with furniture inside, by Ingquza Hill Local Municipality; if not, why what is the position in this regard; if so,
(2) why were (a) they forcefully removed, (b) they moved to inhabitable shacks and (c) the shacks built in a different ward;
(3) when will the municipality move these voters back to their ward with proper houses;
(4) why were the plots taken away from them and sold to other people?
*2. Ms V Mvenya to ask the MEC responsible for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:
(1) Whether he has been informed that the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Port St John’s Rural Development Agency was irregular; if not, what is the position in this regard, if so,
(2) whether the mayor has duly informed his Department about the appointment as required by the rules;
(3) with respect to this appointment, whether his salary has been approved by the council as per regulations; if not,
(4) (a) when will this be rectified and (b) how?
*3. Ms A N Ponco to ask the MEC responsible for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:
(1) Whether she has been informed that some communities of Port St John’s Local Municipality such as Luqwoqweni Village in Ward 15 are unaware that people who are indigent are eligible to receive free basic services such as electricity and water; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,
(2) what support mechanisms his Department envisages to provide to Municipalities with a view to ensuring that awareness programmes are facilitated and ultimately yield the desired impact?
*4. Mr P E van Vuuren to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) How many cases of sexual abuse of learners by school staff members have been investigated by his Department in each school district in the (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017 academic years as at the latest date for which information is available;
(2) can he kindly indicate, in each case, whether the alleged perpetrator was a (a) government employed staff member or (b) School Governing Body (SGB) employed staff member;
(3) whether the alleged perpetrator was found guilty; if so, what action was taken against the alleged perpetrator;
(4) whether the case was reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS); if not, why; if so, can he kindly provide the relevant details in this regard;
(5) whether his Department reported the case to the South African Council of Educators (SACE); if not, why; if so, can he kindly provide the relevant details in this regard?
*5. Mr P E van Vuuren to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) How many cases of (a) corporal punishment and (b) physical abuse of learners by school staff has his Department investigated in each school district in the (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017 academic years as at the latest date for which information is available;
(2) can he kindly indicate, in each case, whether the alleged perpetrator was a government employed staff member or SGB employed staff member;
(3) whether the alleged perpetrator was found guilty; if so, what action was taken against the alleged perpetrator;
(4) whether the case was reported to South African Police Service (SAPS); if not, why, if so, can he kindly provide the relevant details in this regard;
(5) whether his Department reported the case to the SACE; if not, why; if so, can he kindly provide relevant details in this regard?
*6. Ms J Cowley to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
Noting that in the Six Monthly Oversight Report of his Department in September 2017, only one out of six new schools for learners with special needs is reported to have been operationalised; and further noting that there is an estimated under expenditure of R11, 8 million in Compensation of Employees (COE) as well as an estimated under expenditure of R3, 16 million on Goods and Services within the same directorate:
(1) What drastic measures his Department has put in place with a view to meeting the target of six new schools for the abovementioned learners within the approved timeframe;
(2) what new and innovative measures his Department envisages to put in place with a view to improving timeous spending of said budgets, as the catch phrases “facilitating processes”, “collaboration with administration” etc, are clearly not working, as these are reported to be repeat findings?
*7. Mr F D Gade to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) Whether he has been informed that his Department is alleged to have made a payment of R 31 million in overtime allowance to its employees over the 2016/17 financial year as per the Auditor-General’s (A-G) report; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,
(2) whatare the underlying causesforthis;
(3) whether the alleged payment may not be a reflection of the reported ongoing organisational culture of not attaching urgency and seriousness to matters affecting the province’s citizenry; if not, what are the relevant details?
*8. Mr F D Gade to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) Whether he has received any representations regarding an amount of R 253 million reported to have been spent on consultants’ fees; if not, what is the position in this regard;
(2) whether is there any correlation between the alleged exorbitant amount spent on overtime claims and the amounts paid towards consultants;
(3) if he can kindly provide details with respect to any value for money generated through the payments of these consulting firms?
*9. Ms P Mpushe to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) Whether he has been informed of the reported Auditor-General’s finding of duplicate payments alleged to have been made in the 2016/17 financial year; if not, what is the position in this regard;
(2) (a) how much did these alleged duplicate payments amount to and (b) in which line items were they paid towards;
(3) whether the alleged payments have any implications on financial controls practiced by his Department;
(4) what consequence management procedures will be instituted to those implicated?
*10. Ms P Mpushe to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) Whether he has been informed that more than 11000 learners are alleged to have been progressed to Grade 12 in 2017 academic year; if not, what is the position in this regard;
(2) what, if any, are his Department’s strategies that have been put in place with a view to reducing the number of progressed learners as they are alleged to be adversely affecting the province’s end of year Matric exam results;
(3) whether are there any prospects of the province receiving its set pass rate target for this year’s end of year Matric examinations; if so, what are the relevant details?
*11. Mr C M Ndamase to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
As his Department is reported to have facilitated the rollout of 24286 technological gadgets as teaching aids for Foundation Phase educators:
(1) (a) What is the desired impact of this intervention and (b) whether are there any positives which can be reported already from this venture;
(2) what measures his Department has applied with a view to ensuring a smooth process of distribution of these devices to the educators, as well as the monitoring thereof?
*12. Mr M Mrara to ask the MEC responsible for Education:
(1) Whether his Department has reached its set target of the construction of school hostels for 2016/17 financial year; if not, why;
(2) whether his Department has put any plans in place with a view to addressing the construction of school hotels for 2017/18 financial year; if so, what plans?
*13. Ms J Cowley to ask the MEC responsible for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism:
Noting that according to the Coega Development Corporation Annual Performance report (pg 8) the BAIC has pledged an investment of R11,1 billion rand to the entity, and further noting that in the same report (pg 22) the entity is unable to settle all creditors according to the cash analysis. The cash position of the same entity (pg 29) indicates that only after the utilisation of the BAIC Lease Premium of approximately R160 million does it have a positive opening balance:
(1) How secure is the pledged investment from BAIC;
(2) in the event that the above mentioned pledge were to be withdrawn, for whatever reason, whether the entity would stand surety for the lease premium or would the shareholder become responsible for such?
*14. Ms A N Ponco to ask the MEC responsible for Finance, Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism:
Whether his Department has put any measures in place with a view to increasing the collection of revenue, in light of the economic crises that the province and the country are facing; if so, what are the relevant details?
*15. Mr R S Stevenson to ask the MEC responsible for Health:
(1) What is the current state of accruals in her Department that have been carried over from the 2016/17 financial year as at the latest date for which information is available;
(2) whether is it anticipated that her Department will again incur accruals going forward into the 2018/19 financial year; if so, can she kindly provide the relevant details; if not,
(3) what steps her Department envisages to take with a view to mitigate against the matter;
(4) what is generally being done by her Department with a view to reducing accruals in the current financial year;
(5) what impact will the accruals of her Department have on its overall capacity to deliver full services?
*16. Ms N P Abraham - Ntantiso to ask the MEC responsible for Health:
(1) Whether she has received any representations regarding the reported closure of Grey Hospital in King William’s Town; if not, what is the position in this regard;
(2) whether the alleged closure of the specified hospital is in any way complemented by quality health care; if so, what are the details; if not, why;
(3) whether she has been informed of the shortage of specialized staff like radiographers in the specified hospital; if so, what (a) are the relevant details of the shortage and (b) plans her Department has put in place with a view to addressing this challenge?
*17. Ms C Barker to ask the MEC responsible for Health:
With reference to Daily Dispatch article, "CEO opens Fort England can of worms", dated 6 November 2017.The article reported that court papers describe chaos at the Fort England Psychiatric Hospital and suggest that our provincial Health Department has lacked the mettle to stop unprotected strikes, refused both to support management efforts to curtail absenteeism and to do their jobs:
(1) Whether she can kindly submit the annual totals of the number of patients accommodated annually at the abovementioned hospital from 01 January 2015 as at the latest date for which information is available;
(2) can she kindly provide lists, per annum, of the number of strikes at the abovementioned hospital from 01 January 2014 to the latest specified date for which information is available;
(3) what (a) reasons were provided for each strike and (b) steps her Department has taken with a view to resolving all such strikes;
(4) whether hospital staff members were involved in any strike action; if so, can she kindly provide details in this regard;
(5) can she kindly describe steps her Department has taken to protecting patients’ rights to health care and safety in the abovementioned hospital?
*18. Ms C Barker to ask the MEC responsible for Health:
With reference to the 33 new computers reported to be stolen from the Kwazakhele Day Hospital to weeks after installation:
(3) Whether she has been informed of the incident reported above from KwaZakhele Day Hospital in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM); if so,
(4) what (a) steps her Department has been taken with a view to retrieving the reported stolen computers and (b) additional security measures her Department has planned with a view to preventing theft in the abovementioned clinic and all clinics in the (NMBMM);
(5) whether the stolen computers were insured; if so, (a) by whom and (b) on what date; if not,
(6) (a) how and (b) when will her Department replace the stolen computers at the abovementioned facility;
(7) can she kindly provide a detailed list of all theft incidents that took place at her Departments’ clinics in the (NMBMM) from 01 January 2015 as at the latest date for which information is available?