Responses to questions for oral reply to the Premier

30 March 2017

1. *Hon. JM Mkhatshwa, ANC, to ask the Hon. Premier

The ANC through its January 8 statement has declared 2017 as the year of OR Tambo- Lets Deepen Unity. In this regard:

i. Can the Premier educate the people of Mpumalanga about the life and times of Oliver Reginald Tambo and his role in the liberation struggle in South Africa?

RESPONSE:

Hon. Mkhatshwa, the life and times of Oliver Reginald Tambo is an epitome of a true revolutionary struggle for the total liberation of the oppressed. His understanding of the three fundamental contradictions of the struggle against apartheid, namely race, gender and class were phenomenal. That is why he was able to craft dynamic strategic responses to every challenge that the ANC was facing both in exile and underground.

This demonstrates the depth of his intellectual gifts and abilities as a leader. His deep faith not only in the creator but to the goodness of humanity, is what guided his approach in cultivating unity within his organization as well as in forging dynamic alliances for the advancement of the liberation struggle.

Oliver Tambo had a calm and quiet disposition, but made impact on everyone that he worked and interacted with. A man of sharp mind, great wisdom and humility. His relentless campaign for sanctions against the apartheid regime, is probably one of his many accolades he earned in our struggle for liberation.

This approach to building and leading a political movement for the demise of one cruel and unjust system and to replace it with one of freedom, justice and equality; are distinct traits of Oliver Tambo. It is what shaped and informed the continued existence and growth of the ANC and its struggle for the liberation of our country.

Honestly, this is a life that cannot be narrated in such a short time allocated for this occasion.

ii. What are the true values and lessons the people of South Africa and Mpumalanga can learn from the valuable lessons of Oliver Tambo?

RESPONSE:

Selflessness, integrity, humility, genuine commitment to the ones beliefs, collaborative approach to leadership, and hard work hard! These are values that in my view best define this leader of our people and our country. When the ANC was faced with challenges that could have easily led to its disintegration and loss of credibility as a leader of the National Liberation Movement, Oliver Tambo demonstrated his great abilities in tactful and inclusive leadership.

He is the architect of the Bill of Rights enshrined in Chapter 2 of our Constitution. He advocated for the gender equality by affirming the important role of women in society, by reminding us that “the liberation of women is not an act of charity but a fundamental human right’’. Oliver Tambo had belief in the abilities of our youth in leading change. He coined the term “young lions” and called on them to be at the forefront of the struggle for their own freedom and thus destiny.

He believed in the importance of the arts and the creative sector in the struggle for freedom and its ability in galvanizing society for meaningful change and that is why in exile he supported the Amandla Cultural Ensemble. As this Province we have rich cultural tapestry that we can and should use in influencing the evolution of a South African society that is based on the values of non-racialism, non-sexism and equality for all. Our young people can be at the forefront of development through various initiatives. That is why we want a Mpumalanga that is not build on collective activism and hard work.

iii. In the wake of sporadic attacks on international mainly African immigrants attacks in Gauteng, what values of Internationalism we can draw from OR Tambo in his life of leading the ANC in exile?

RESPONSE:

Oliver Tambo understood with the requisite level of clarity of thought that the ANC and the entirety of the liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Namibia, could not succeed without cross border strategic alliance and partnerships. For us to be free as a people, we had to count on the support of the Anti-apartheid Movement around the globe especially our brothers and sisters in the Continent and the diaspora. The Frontline States had to endure endless military raids by South African Defence Force (SADF) that did not only lead to many deaths but to the destabilization of their economies. The net effect of such destabilization is that it cannot be corrected and be undone overnight. So we remain in this struggle together bound by the ultimate objective of economic freedom.

Oliver Tambo was passionate about unity of Africans and emphasized it as a critical pillar for the attainment of true liberation in all its forms. Africans at home and the diaspora are one people and therefore limbs of the same body. Because of this understanding, Oliver Tambo would not have condoned in a slightest form these attacks against fellow Africans. It is not xenophobia but acts of self-hatred as it is inexplicable how one can attack and chop-off one part of his or her own body and feel good about it. The competition over limited resources may be at the heart of it, but we are a country that has made significant progress in a short space of time. Patience remains our hope for change.

iv. Are there any programs the Mpumalanga Province seek to implement to conscientise the Mpumalanga people in honour of the life of OR Tambo?

RESPONSE:

We have dedicated 2017 as the year of OR Tambo, a man who was described as the glue that kept the movement together during the most difficult and frustrating years in exile. He advocated for unity amongst all people who loved and were longing for a free non-racial no sexiest South Africa.

As government, we have said in our State of the Province Address that as leaders we must be humble and respond to the issues of the people. It is not so much about what we will be doing as specific programmes, but what we will live on daily basis as leaders and ordinary people as a manifestation of Oliver Tambo’s values. I also challenge the Legislature to also come with its own programme on how to promote and deepen the values of Oliver Tambo.

v. What are the true values, traditions and heritage the people of Mpumalanga can learn from the invaluable life OR Tambo shared with South Africans?

RESPONSE:

Oliver Tambo left us a significant and enduring heritage; one which enhanced our new constitution and contributed to the inclusive and equitable of our democratically elected government. As our diplomat in chief during our fight for freedom and democracy, he crafted a foreign policy outlook that had all the hallmarks of Ubuntu. Our foreign policy is crafted as promoting ‘a better Africa for a better world’ – thanks to the pioneering work of this giant. His commitment to civil and political rights as articulated in the Harare Declaration, is reflected in our Bill of Rights in all its form guaranteeing freedoms of speech and press, assembly, association, language and religion. Most importantly, gender equality! These are fundamental in democratic governance. This demonstrates the man’s depth of foresight, which he championed at a time of one-party states in Africa. His heritage is deep and timeless.

2. *Hon. VV Windvoël, ANC, to ask Hon. Premier

Hon. Premier, the 2017 State of the Province Address has by all standards revealed your ground breaking achievements in the area of education. You have turned the gloomy picture of the African child living in farms into a new sense of dignity and pride by building state of the art boarding schools and closing down farm schools:

i. Can the Premier outline his general strategy on the closure of farm schools and their replacement by boarding schools?

RESPONSE:

For a long time, I have been concerned about the poor conditions faced by farm schools. Access to quality education for the children of farm dwellers remains a major concern.

Whenever we were out there interacting with our people either through executive council outreach programmes or during election campaigns I would come across learners who were walking long distances to schools that were in most cases far flung and in the middle of nowhere.

These were young vulnerable children running through dust roads some bare-footed without uniform others wearing torn clothes even during the coldest winter months and the hottest summer days. Knowing and understanding the history of farm dwellers one would come to the conclusion that these children were probably running to school on empty stomachs.

It became clear to me that whilst most of us were beginning to enjoy the fruits of our democracy, our people working and living in the farms were still suffering, marginalized and left to fend for themselves.

The winds of change that were blowing from all corners of life brought about by the ANC government were not reaching them. At times it seemed like they were living in a completely different world devoid of any social, political and economic justice.

It was at this stage that I made a proposal to my colleagues within the executive that rather than having poorly built schools that are sparsely placed with one teacher teaching multi-grades classes, let us consolidate all these schools and build comprehensive boarding schools with state of the art facilities and ensure that children on the farms access quality education.

I must say that we were also not sure if these children would acclimatize and get used to a completely new environment since some of them had never seen a flushing toilet, let alone the use of electricity and a shower.

It paid off. I have since re-visited some of these boarding schools and I must say that I am happy with the progress that I have seen. We have responded very well to the call by the Freedom Charter that the doors of learning shall be open to all.

We can proudly say that the introduction of these boarding schools has assisted us in addressing most of the challenges that were common in farm schools. Among others these challenges were;

• Early school drop-out
• Absenteeism caused by poverty and hunger, long distance walk, very cold or very hot and sometimes rainy weather conditions
• Childhood pregnancies
• Poor health and hygiene conditions
• Lack of role models and absence of supervision and motivation

Through our targeted programmes, we have succeeded in creating a warm and comfortable environment that is safe, secure, and conducive to effective teaching and learning that benefit children living on the farms. Equally, we have succeeded in giving these children a good start in life and managed to level the playing field between farm schools and urban schools.

ii. How many of the boarding schools have been built and completed and how many are still to be build?

RESPONSE:

The Province has managed to build and complete five boarding schools. These are:

• Ezakheni Boarding School – which covers Wakkerstroom Circuit, in Gert Sibande District
• Izimbali Boarding School – which covers Amsterdam Circuit in Gert Sibande District
• Steve Tshwete Boarding School- Steve Tshwete 3 Circuit, in Nkangala District
• Emakhazeni Boarding School – Emakhazeni Circuit, in Nkangala District
• Shongwe Boarding School – Khulangwane Circuit, in Ehlanzeni District

In terms of future planning, the Department of Education has concluded an assessment of all farm schools to inform our interventions over the next few years. Indications are that we need to build more or less 13 boarding schools up to 2024/25 financial year.

iii. What are the valuable success stories we can tell the province on the strategy to abolish farm schools and build these boarding schools?

RESPONSE:

One of the many success stories that have come out of this exercise is that our learners are no longer subjected to a one or two poorly built classroom school where learners of varying grades sit facing opposite directions or come to school at different times and are taught by one or two teachers throughout all the grades.

We also identified poor teaching and learning facilities as the key challenges that have a negative impact on the provision of quality education and learner achievement.

More importantly, the boarding schools have facilities of higher quality to facilitate teaching and learning and profoundly reduce higher failure rates per grade.

iv. How many farms schools have been closed thus far and how many learners are beneficiaries in the new boarding schools?

RESPONSE:

227 farm schools have been closed since 2009 and 3 153 are beneficiaries in the new boarding schools.

v. Since the boarding schools are comprehensive schools, what measures are in place to ensure that there is sufficient curriculum provision for all learners from grade R to grade 12?

RESPONSE:

Of the four out of five boarding schools - learners were provided with Technological devices such as Tablets (iPads) from grade R to grade 3 whereby subjects that are done in these grades are loaded onto these devices. As a result, learners in these grades do not have to carry text books to classes for effective teaching and learning.

Curriculum support resources have been supplied to all the boarding schools. In grade 4 to 12, Textbooks, Library books, Computers, Laptops for teachers, White Boards, Data Projectors, Laboratory equipment have been supplied to strengthen teaching and learning activities.

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Every academic year, Principals of Boarding Schools apply for provisioning of additional curriculum resources to the department. These resources enhance the development of linguistic, technological, numerical and scientific knowledge and skills of the learners.

3. *Hon. B Grobler, DA, to ask the Hon. Premier

With regards to the Parliamentary Village which is said to be built in Maggiesdal, can the Premier please answer the following questions:

i. As the land was priced at R66 million initially in 2008, what factors resulted in the land being bought at R9 million as reported by the spokesperson for Mbombela Local Municipality?

RESPONSE:

The land was not bought for R9 million. The land was aimed at being transferred from one organ of State, the City of Mbombela, to the Provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport for free. However, that plan has since changed in view of the relocation of the Parliamentary Village to Mattafin.

ii. Why is it planned to build 41 units if the Legislature currently consists of 30 Members? Will Members of the Executive live in this village?

RESPONSE:

Indeed, the Parliamentary village will consists of housing units for all of the MPLs, MECs, the Speaker, the Premier as well as a State house and common facilities. At the moment, 28 units are being considered for development as follows:

• 13 Units for MPLs
• 12 Units for MECs
• 1 Unit for the Speaker
• 1 Unit for the Premier
• 1 Guest Unit (State House)

The development will also include common facilities for the MECs and MPLs as well as 5 platforms for future expansion plans.

iii. With a budget of R200 million the provincial government can buy and upgrade a few exclusive and modern complexes in Mbombela, why would provincial government choose to spend more than double this amount on this village?

RESPONSE:

Various options were explored for the purpose of the Parliamentary Village including the option of buying and upgrading an existing residential accommodation. A suitable residential complex meeting all the requirements for a high profile security complex could not be identified in Nelspruit, hence, the decision to build. It is envisaged that the Province will benefit tremendously from the planned development as opposed to the continued dependency on rented units.

iv. If the development is not going to take place in Maggiesdal, where is the new location for the Parliamentary Village and what will the costs involved be?

RESPONSE:

Mataffin has been confirmed as the preferred site.

v. Will the Premier benefit more than any other Member in any personal way or through any entity, financially or in any other way?

RESPONSE:

No, the Premier will not personally benefit from this project.

4. *Hon. AL Skhosana, EFF, to ask the Hon. Premier

Hon. Premier you took an oath of office and committed that you shall abide by the Constitution of the RSA and all the other related laws of the country. The SA Citizenship Act, 1995(Act 88 of 1995) as amended by the SA Amendment Act, 2010(Act no 17 of 2010) came into operation on the 1st April 2013.

i. Could you please tell this House why did you overlook the above Act when you appointed Hon. Petrus Ngomana as a Member of the Executive Council?

RESPONSE:

I have not overlooked any Act by appointing Honourable Ngomane to be the member of the Executive Council.

ii. What is your understanding of a certificate of naturalization and who is entitled to it?

RESPONSE:

The applicant must have a Permanent Residence Permit for a period of ten (10) years from the date of obtaining Permanent Residence (PR) in the Republic of South Africa. No application may be received by the office if the applicant has less than the prescribed ten (10) year period. Eligible applicants must be informed that the process for application will only begin when verification of Permanent Residence Permit has been confirmed by Immigration Services (IMS) through a written and signed letter of proof or Permanent Residence to be attached to the application. This will require offices where such applications are received to first send verification of Permanent Residence requests to Immigration Services before receiving an application for naturalisation. Within the same period, a request to SAPS for a Police Criminal Record check and confirmation must be submitted.

iii. According to your knowledge does Petrus Ngomana have a certificate of naturalization as a Mozambican born citizen?

RESPONSE:

What I know is that Honourable Ngomane is a South African citizen.

iv. If yes, could you please provide proof and if no, why did you appoint Petrus Ngomana as an MEC whilst the law does not allow him to hold such an office?

RESPONSE:

As indicated earlier, Honourable Ngomane is a South African citizen and nothing prevents him from being appointed as a Member of the Executive Council.

v. Don’t you think you have broken your oath of office by appointing a person who does not possess a certificate of naturalization as an MEC?

RESPONSE:

I have not broken any oath of office. The very party list that has been ratified by the IEC which has allowed you to be the the Honourable Member of the Provincial Legislature is the one that has been used to deploy Honourable Ngomane to this legislature.

5. * Hon. FV Mlombo, ANC, to ask Hon. Premier

Over the past five years, 77 000 jobs were created in the province in the community and government services making the public sector the biggest contributor to employment:

i. What will be the target for the Honourable Premier in terms of job creation for the next two years?

RESPONSE:

Following a careful assessment of what needed to be done to reduce the high rate of unemployment especially among the youth in this province, we came to the conclusion that we will have to create at least 70 000 jobs per annum up to the year 2030.

This was also informed by our Mpumalanga Vision 2030 Strategic Implementation Framework and the Provincial Medium Term Strategic Framework. For the first few years we performed extremely well as government. We created more jobs than we had projected

However, government’s performance in job creation was not met by the same response from the private sector. Most of the industries especially the steel and mining sectors were shedding jobs.

It must be noted, though, that government must not be seen as a job creator, but a provider of an enabling environment for the private sector to lead in job creation efforts.

Our target remains 70 000 jobs per annum. However, we are fully aware that we may not reach this target given the weak global economic outlook that has negatively impacted on our performance.

There is however a glimmer of hope. Commodity prices have stabilized. The drought that was described as the worst in the recent recorded history seem to have subsided. We expect a better outlook in the agriculture sector in terms of production output.

ii. How will the Honourable Premier mobilize the private sector to also positively contribute to job creation?

RESPONSE:

Government’s responsibility is to create an enabling environment for the private sector to create jobs. We will continue to do so and invite domestic and foreign investors to invest in our province. We will also support small and medium sized enterprises as these are the main drivers of job creation and economic growth.

iii. Can the Honourable Premier elaborate on programmes that will concentrate on giving young people jobs as they are the most affected in the society?

RESPONSE:

Youth unemployment is a global phenomenon that is facing every nation. What we have identified as a major stumbling block that stands in the way of young people getting employed in our province and in the country in general is the lack of skills. Even during the times of economic recovery, our youth cannot be absorbed by the industries because they lack even the most basic skills.

We have since decided on a multi-pronged approach to deal with this problem of youth unemployment. On one hand we have a partnership with the private sector and the Skills Education Training Authorities (Setas) to train our youth on the rare skills that are needed by the industries.

For example we have partnered with Eskom, Sasol and Hydra arc in skilling our young people.

On the other hand we are encouraging and assisting our youth to form cooperatives and companies and take opportunities that are available within the government procurement system.

Our strategic focus will be on leveraging the power of state procurement to support youth owned small businesses and cooperatives by opening up the government market demand for products produced by these youth owned enterprises.

We will partner with the private sector in all our key sectors to ensure that small enterprises are linked to procurement opportunities offered the private sector.

6. *Hon. SI Malaza ANC, to ask the Hon. Premier

Hon. Premier we appreciate your hard work for making significant strides in ensuring that previously disadvantaged communities now have access to basic services. In your SOPA you have correctly reported that 88% of our households have access to clean drinking water. You further reported that, government is implementing 63 water and sanitation projects and 14 water projects have been completed in Bushbuckridge and Nkomazi Municipality. That is much appreciated by our communities Hon. Premier. However, there is indeed still a lot to be done:

i. Specifically in Nkomazi Hon. Premier please list the communities that stand to benefit in the rollout of water projects?

RESPONSE:

The Nkomazi Municipality is implementing bulk water supply upgrade projects, extension of reticulation projects, refurbishment projects as well as Water Conservation and Water Demand Management projects in various villages. The communities to benefit from the current rollout of water projects through various grants are:

• Masibekela, Mbangwane, Khombaso, Tsambokhulu, Mbuzini, Goba, Hhoyi, Aniva, Tonga D, Kamhlushwa, Phosaville, Phiva, Tonga, Block A, Block B (Joe Slovo, Nkanini), Block C (Phakama), Block C, Mzinti, Mangweni, Kamaqhekeza, Mandulo, Mdladla, Langeloop, Driekoppies (Nhlabaville), Mananga, Dludluma, Ngwenyeni, Steenbok, Magudu, Middleplaas, Marloth Park, Komatipoort, Malelane, Hectorspruit, and many others.

ii. During the TLP in Nkomazi in 2015 in a radio interview, the community of Mgobodzi was promised a water project which was to commence in October 2015, but to this day the project has not started. No explanation was given to the community. Please shed some light on what caused the project not to start?

RESPONSE:

The water project planned to address water shortages in Mgobodzi is the Sibange Bulk water supply project which falls under the RBIG Grant, implemented by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

The Department of Water and Sanitation sent a letter to the municipality in 2015 to co-fund the project, where an estimated amount of R245 million was required from the municipality for both the Driekoppies and Sibange Schemes as part of the pre-conditions set by the Department.

The municipality replied back to the Department to indicate the challenges with co-funding as the municipality does not collect such revenue and will not be able to co-fund the project as Nkomazi depends on grants in the rural areas due to a high number of indigents. For that reason, the project was not implemented. CoGTA had to intervene to resolve this matter.

Currently the municipality is implementing the Magudu Water Reticulation project to deal with the illegal connections at Magudu that cause community of Mgobodzi not to have water.

iii. When is the water project at Mgobodzi going to start? Please provide timeframes.

RESPONSE:

The Department of Water and Sanitation has set aside a budget for designs during the current 2016/17 financial year. The first Phase of the project will start in the 2017/18 financial year and will be a multi-year project. The problem of the bulk scheme thus shall be resolved permanently when these projects are completed over the next 2-3 years.

7. *Hon. GC Shabalala, ANC, to ask Hon. Premier

Honourable Premier announced in the 2016 State of the Province Address that the construction of the Majuba Rail Corridor as a vital project to alleviate pressure on our coal haulage network to mitigate the degrading of roads in the mining areas of the province:

i. Can the Premier share with the people of the province the progress made thus far on the Majuba Railway Project?

RESPONSE:

The Majuba rail project, a component of the Eskom Road to Rail initiative which will link the Majuba Power Station to the main coal railway hub in Ermelo in Mpumalanga, is expected to be completed by December 2017.

The 68 km corridor is the first large greenfield freight-rail infrastructure project to be carried out in South Africa since 1986 and will be operated by Transnet Freight Rail (TFR). The structures and earthworks are complete with more than half of the formation ready for track laying. The line will carry approximately 21-million tonnes of coal per year.

ii. How many jobs have been created thus far in the project implementation for the people of the province and Gert Sibande in particular?

RESPONSE:

In April 2016, the project had 1 050 people on site. It started in March 2013 and will be completed by December 2017.

iii. What socio-economic impact this project will achieve for people of Gert Sibande?

RESPONSE:

According to eskom, the project will yield lower life-cycle transportation costs, improve coal-delivery turnaround times and enable Majuba to access more coal sources, according to Eskom.

With the whole of the railway line situated in Mpumalanga, many residents will be employed for the operation of the rolling stock as well as the maintenance of the infrastructure.

The roads that will benefit the most from the railway line are the N11 between Ermelo and Majuba and to a lesser extent the R35 between Bethal and Majuba. Both of these roads are National Roads.

iv. How will this project help in the energy supply targets set by the country?

RESPONSE:

The initiative aims to ensure the security of coal supply through logistics solutions at the Majuba, Tutuka, Camden, Grootvlei, Kendal and Hendrina power stations to cater for a throughput potential of 32-million tonnes a year of coal by rail. The coal would be unloaded at the terminal by the upgraded coal tippler system.

8. *Hon. P Ngobeni, ANC, to ask the Hon. Premier

The Hon Premier in the ANC 2016 Lekgotla and Alliance Summit has progressively reintroduced the idea of People’s Housing Concept (PHP) as an effort to make citizens take active participation in their own development:

i. Can the Hon. Premier unpack the idea of the PHP concept and how it will work to build more houses for the People?

RESPONSE:

The PHP is a housing delivery approach that supports and empowers people to build houses for themselves.

The premise of the PHP is to assist families that want to organise the planning, design and building of their own houses for themselves.

The main objective of the People’s Housing Process (as a preferred approach to housing delivery) is to ensure that communities are at the centre of the construction of their homes. Primarily, the intention in this regard is mobilising and harnessing the combined resources, efforts and initiatives of communities, government and the private sector.

As government continues to implement integrated human settlements, the PHP approach creates a critical platform for the deployment and enhancement of local skills in the construction of houses in beneficiary communities.

As part of socio-economic empowerment, the Executive Council has approved the ‘Social Enterprise Development Model’ aimed at ensuring ‘maximum community participation in housing delivery and the resultant human settlement creation’ and at the same time addressing issues of job creation by boosting township and rural economies through the localized manufacture of input materials that go into the housing delivery programmes

The plan is to involve the communities in all aspects of the construction works, with the ultimate objective of capacitating, empowering and transferring skills to the community, which will improve their socio-economic well-being. The community members will be involved in construction works associated with housing top structures.

Well capacitated and adequately resourced community based co-operatives to supply construction materials to government funded housing projects.

ii. What could be the projected housing units to be built under such a ground breaking idea?

RESPONSE:

It should suffice to indicate that the current total housing backlog in the identified pilot municipalities alone, namely, Thembisile Hani; Dr. JS Moroka; Govan Mbeki; Steve Tshwete; Emalahleni and Nkomazi Local Municipal Municipalities is standing at 89 442 in terms of the Housing Needs Register (HNR), amounting to a project value of approximately R9,8 billion at the current subsidy quantum of approximately R110 000.00 per house if they were to be eradicated simultaneously in one financial year.

It therefore goes without saying that the model will have to be implemented in the short, medium and long term periods. The model will be extended to include other municipalities within the same periods.

iii. Can the Premier allude on advantages such an idea will bring to communities and unemployed youth?

RESPONSE:

The communities, including the unemloyed youth will benefit in the following way:

• Access to skills development opportunities in the built environment
• Enterprise development focusing on the manufacture/production of construction materials required for government housing projects. These will include bricks, concrete kerbing for roads, concrete channels and pipes etc.
• Increased employment opportunities for local communities, including the unemployment

iv. Regarding the Premier’s vision also to make communities participate in provision of certain services to health and education facilities, can the Premier also unpack his vision on this score?

RESPONSE:

In a similar way as in human settlements projects, government has set aside procurement opportunities for identified products and services in order to empower SMMEs and cooperatives. These services include the supply of cleaning materials and products for government, travel and accommodation services, printing, supply of lines and uniforms etc.

More importantly, the Executive Council has approved a model for the delivery of the government nutrition programme to create opportunities for farmers and cooperatives to supply produce to government institutions such as schools and hospitals directly. This will provide market access for emerging farmers and contribute to increased agricultural production.

v. How does these new ground breaking ideas of ending tendering of certain provisions of services going to help on economic empowerment and job creation to the youth of Mpumalanga?

RESPONSE:

After many years of trying to support and develop our people through government procurement system, we have come to realize that very few of them are involved in the production of goods and services.

Our people have always been happy to become middlemen that buy from retailers and sell to government. What we are saying is that let us have cooperatives that are farmers, and as government, we will support them by buying directly from them and cut out the middle man.

9. *Hon. RJ Sithole, DA, to ask the Hon. Premier

With Regards to the development of artisans through MRTT in line with the State of the Province address since 2014, where the Hon. Premier stated that 5000 artisans will be trained in the next 5 years by training 1000 artisans per year. Can the Premier indicate the following:

i. In the 2017 SOPA the Hon. Premier did not mention the training of artisans through MRTT or the progress thereof, can the Premier state where this program is currently at and how many artisans have been trained and have received a qualification to date?

RESPONSE:

The Artisan Development Programme is currently in progress with 1 173 learners which consists of 130 learners placed with Eskom towards their workplace integrated learning and 262 learners with Hydra Arc. The remaining are in the process of furthering their artisan development training through the newly approved conversion apprenticeship programme. The new learners to be recruited will be in terms of the approved apprenticeship programme. The current learners have already acquired a skills programme and learnership NQF level 2 which are one of the routes towards full artisanship status.

This is not the only programme that is involved in the skilling of our people. Companies like Eskom, Sasol, Mines and Setas are also involved in training artisans. The number of people trained by all these institutions is well over 2000 per year.

ii. In July this 2016, the DA wrote a letter to the Hon. Premier asking for your urgent intervention with regards to artisans needing on the job placement which to date the Hon Premier has not responded. Can the Premier state if any interactions with government departments have taken place to try and assist with absorbing of learners to complete their second phase of Artisan Training and if so, by when?

RESPONSE:

Government departments did not have placement opportunities which are in line with specific trades in which learners were trained, i.e welding and engineering fabrication. More importantly, there are also specific outcomes required from the relevant SETA during the Workplace Integrated Learning phase that government departments could not meet with their current projects.

The Office of the Premier has led a process of engagement with private sector partners to seek placement opportunities learners that are on the Artisan Development Programme. We have received positive commitments from Eskom, Hydra Arc and Sasol. We are continuing to engage with the mining sector to absorb learners for the experiential learning phase of the artisan development programme.

iii. MRTT stated in the 2015/16 Annual Report that 1173 artisans have been developed and it produced 1173 during the same year. Can the Premier explain how MRTT was able to achieve this with un underspend of R52 Million in this program on its budget and which stakeholders assisted with the qualifications and the job training?

RESPONSE:

The 1173 learners reported on have completed their Institutional and Practical training of the NQF Level 2 Learnership programme (phase one) as planned and they are now ready to be placed for Workplace Integrated Learning for a minimum of two years to be eligible for a trade test.

The Institutional Training was done through Hydra Arc. Hydra Arc further absorbed 262 learners from groups 1 and 2 for their second year Workplace Integrated Learning, while Eskom recently absorbed 130 of the same group for their second year Workplace Integrated Learning.

The recruitment process includes a process of recruiting, vigorous screening and selection of learners. Due to the process followed learners commenced and will complete their Institutional Training in phases and groups.

The Service Level Agreement between Hydra Arc and MRTT makes provision for payment in four tranches as certain milestones are reached.

Payments are effected according to the milestones reached and as at 31st of March 2016, some milestones were not yet achieved hence the under spending of R52 million in the 2015/16 financial year. The budget has been carried forward to 2016/17 financial year since the training of the 1 173 learners was allocated in this budget.

iv. After three years since the Premier made this commitment in his state of the province in 2014, will the Premier agree that this program needs to be reassessed? Can the Hon? Premier tell the house if government is able to assist with on the job training for artisans as per agreement with stakeholders or not and does the moratorium placed on vacant positions have any impact on the success of this program or not?

RESPONSE:

The Provincial Government has indeed reassessed the programme and the Executive Council approved a conversion on the 14th of December 2016 to a three year apprenticeshipprogramme leading to artisan qualification whereby Hydra Arc will act as a host employer for all the learners. This conversion will have an effect on the number of learners targeted for this specific artisan development programme, resulting in a drop from 5000 to 3000 artisans at the end of the programme.

As government, we have had engagements with Eskom and SASOL in respect of placement of learners which resulted in the following.

• 80 learners have been absorbed at Kusile Power Station – 63 learners have already commenced and 17 are yet to be called on site.
• A total of 50 learners absorbed by different Eskom power stations have started training with Nkangala TVET College doing a pre-requirement programme for trade test which is the N2 engineering subject including Maths and Science.
• A total of 262 students are currently placed with Hydra Arc for in-service training since May 2016. Some learners are at Sasol sites and others at Sky Hill.
• SASOL has committed to placing learners in line with minimum requirements acceptable to the company.
• Hydra-Arc will further more absorb the full complement of learners on the three year Apprenticeship programme.

ENDS

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