Questions & Replies: Rural Development & Land Reform
2011-11-09
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QUESTION 1951INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 20-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 29 July 2011
1951. Ms M R Shinn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(a) How many (i) international flights and (ii) domestic flights were undertaken by (aa) him and (bb) his deputy minister using (aaa) military aircraft, (bbb) chartered aircraft or (ccc) commercial aircraft during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available, (b) what class did he and his deputy minister travel in each case and (c) what amount did his department spend with regard to each specified flight? NW2189E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
Period 1 April 2010 – 31 July 2011 | (aa) Minister | (bb) Deputy Minister | |
(a)(i)International Flights | (aaa) military aircraft | 0 | 0 |
(bbb) chartered aircraft | 0 | 1 | |
(ccc) commercial aircraft | 1 | 1 | |
(a)(ii) Domestic Flights | (aaa) military aircraft | 1 | 0 |
(bbb) chartered aircraft | 0 | 0 | |
(ccc) commercial aircraft | 114 | 60 | |
(b) Class in each case | Business and Economy | ||
(c) Amount per flight | Annexures A-C | Annexures D-G |
QUESTION 1917
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: [No 20-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 29 JULY 2011
1917. Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
Whether he has employed a ministerial special advisor; if so, (a) what are the duties of the advisor, (b) at which post level was the appointment made, (c) what is the salary level of the advisor, (d) what is the duration of the employment contract entered into with the advisor and (e) why was it necessary to appoint this advisor? NW2155E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
No. (a), (b), (c), (d) & (e) fall away.
QUESTION 1714INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 18-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24 June 2011
1714. Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) What is the detailed expenditure breakdown for the Ministry sub-programme under Programme 1: Administration in the (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10 and (d) 2010-11 financial years;
(2) (a) what was the actual budget increase each year, expressed as a percentage, for funds allocated to this sub-programme and (b) how is the increase for each specified financial year justified? NW1928E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1)Detailed expenditure breakdown | (2)(a) Actual budget increase per annum (%) | (2)(b) How is the increase justified | |
2007-2008 | Ministry's budget administered by the Department of Agriculture at the time. | Falls away. | Falls away. |
2008-2009 | |||
2009-2010 | Please refer to Annexure A. | Falls away. | Falls away. |
2010-2011 | Please refer to Annexure A. | 12.7%. | The increase was as a result of an increase in compensation of employees as the Ministry was only created in 2010. |
QUESTION 1664
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 18-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24 June 2011
1664. Mr D A Kganare(Cope) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) How many (a) land claims were completed in each province since 1 January 2009, (b) claimants received their land or compensation since 1 January 2009 and (c) land claims are still outstanding;
(2) When (a) were these outstanding claims lodged and (b) will they be finalised;
(3) How long does it take to finalise one claim? NW1873E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) (a) and (b) Please refer to the table below:
* The information provided is as at 30 June 2011
PROVINCE | (a) How many land claims completed? | (b) How many claimants received land /compensation | ||
Rural Claims finalised | Urban Claims finalised | Dismissed Claims | (Households) | |
E Cape | 74 | 201 | 2 | 8265 |
F State | 8 | 0 | 12 | 492 |
Gauteng | 3 | 70 | 0 | 697 |
KZN | 31 | 51 | 0 | 9553 |
Limpopo | 256 | 1 | 220 | 4970 |
Mpumalanga | 23 | 6 | 77 | 1067 |
N Cape | 11 | 8 | 36 | 1790 |
N West | 13 | 38 | 0 | 4636 |
W Cape | 3 | 307 | 9 | 3380 |
Total | 422 | 682 | 356 | 34850 |
(c) An analysis of the number of claims that have been finalised and those outstanding is presently being conducted. The verification shall be finalised by the end of August 2012.
(2) (a) From 1995 until 31 December 1998.
(b) The finalisation of the settlement of claims shall depend on the availability of financial resources.
(3) On average, 18 months. The period can be shorter for individual and family claims, and longer for community claims.
QUESTION 1475INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 14-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 03 JUNE 2011
1475. Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(a) On how many occasions since 1 March 2010 did his office hire a vehicle to transport (i) him and (ii) his Deputy Minister and (b) in each case, (i) what was the cost of hiring the vehicle, (ii) for what reason was the vehicle hired, (iii) for how many days, (iv) what (aa) make and (bb) model of vehicle was hired and (v) what total distance was travelled? NW1642E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(a) (i) 80
(ii) 9
(b) (i) The total cost for the rentals was R339 210.00 and R32 401.00 for the Minister and Deputy Minister respectively.
(ii) The Department hired the vehicles for the Minister and Deputy Minister to discharge their mandate.
(iii) 168.
(iv)(aa) and (bb) BMW X1, X3, X5 & X6; Audi Q5 & Q7; Mercedes Benz E-Class; Mercedes Benz ML350; Toyota Prado; Mitsubishi Pajero and VW Touareg.
(v) 35 322 kilometres.
QUESTION 1436
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 14-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 3 June 2011
1436. Ms D Carter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) Whether there has been any scientific monitoring of the Deeds Registries in the (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11 financial years; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,
(2) whether any malpractice, impropriety or corruption had been uncovered through (a) such monitoring and (b) any other process; if not, in each case, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW1600E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1)(a)-(c) Yes. There has been monitoring of the Deeds Registries in the 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 financial years.
(2)(a)-(b)The fraudulent acts that have been detected in the Pretoria Deeds Registry were as a result of such monitoring. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has requested the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to conduct investigations to determine if there was any malpractice, impropriety or corruption.
QUESTION 1435
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 14-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 3 June 2011
1435. Ms D Carter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
Whether his department has achieved a reduction of the time for supplying cadastral documents from five days to three days; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1599E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
Yes. During the months of April and May 2011, cadastral documents/information were supplied within an average period of three days. The nature and content of these documents were such that a response could be prepared within the requisite average target time. It must be noted, however, that the number of days could fluctuate depending on the nature and complexity of the information requested. The subject matter could require varying degrees of research which dictate the time taken to produce a comprehensive response.
QUESTION 1354
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 13-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 27 May 2011
1354. Ms N D Ngcengwane (ANC) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) How much of the National Asset Register has his department completed;
(2) what percentage of land is owned by foreigners;
(3) (a) what percentage of land is being leased to (i) foreigners and (ii) South Africans for a period of (aa) 30-years, (bb) 50 years and(cc) longer and (b) how much (i) are foreigners paying the Government in each case and (ii) do South Africans pay for properties built on long-term leased land? NW1426E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform keeps an Immovable Asset Register for land that falls under the custodianship of the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform. The said register currently comprises 24 528 land parcels, which translates into 7 662 444.6615 hectares, excluding unsurveyed land.
(2) The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform does not currently keep information relating to registered land parcels on the basis of citizenship. No official data thus exists on the percentage of land owned by foreigners.
(3) In respect of land falling under the custodianship of the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(a) (i) (aa)-(cc) 0%
(ii) (aa)1 269.247 (one thousand two hundred and sixty nine point two four seven) hectares, which is less than 1%.
(bb) 3 973.4383 (three thousand nine hundred and seventy three point four three eight three) hectares, which is less than 1%.
(cc) 24 682.1080 (twenty four thousand six hundred and eighty two point one zero eight zero) hectares, which is less than 1%.
(b) (i) Falls away.
(ii) Rental is based on the economic enterprise a lessee undertakes on a property hence there is no separate amount that South Africans pay for properties built on long-term leased land.
QUESTION 1301
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 12-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 21 April 2011
1301. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
With reference to his reply to question 162 on 28 March 2011, (a) how many (i) of the 475 applications have been approved and (ii) farms have been bought and (b) where is each of these farms located? NW1442E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(a) (i) 345 applications were approved and land transferred to the affected beneficiaries.
(ii) 345 farms.
(b) Please refer to Annexure A below.
QUESTION 1241
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 11-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 15 April 2011
1241. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) Whether he was approached to assist in the unresolved communal property association disagreement in the Richtersveld community land claim; if so,
(2) whether he has reacted to this request; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1383E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) Yes.
(2) Whilst officials were delegated by the Minister to facilitate negotiations between the parties to the Richtersveld Community dispute, the parties to the dispute agreed to settle their dispute by the appointment of an administrator to administer the affairs of the Richtersveld Sida! Hub Communal Property Association ("CPA") until such time that a committee of the CPA is elected. This agreement was made an order of court. Mr Taswell Papier, the administrator, has requested the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to finance the costs associated with his employment. The Department is presently processing the request.
QUESTION NO 1239
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 11-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 15 April 2011
1239. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) Whether his department adjusted its strategy with regard to acquisition of land for the land redistribution programme; if so, (a) what adjustments have been made, (b) when have these adjustments been made, (c) who authorised these adjustments and (d) how have these adjustments been communicated to potential sellers and beneficiaries;
(2) whether any potential land sales have been influenced by this decision; if so, what are the relevant details; if not,
(3) whether any land has been bought since 1 April 2010 under programmes other than the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how many hectares of land have been bought? NW1381E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) Yes.
(a) As part of its restructuring process, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) took a decision to place a moratorium on all grants-based sub-programmes, namely, Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD), Settlement and Production Land Acquisition Grant (SPLAG), Land Acquisition for Sustainable Settlements (LASS), Settlement Land Acquisition Grant (SLAG) and Farm Equity Schemes (FES). The focus now is on providing access to land through the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) by entering into lease agreements with potential beneficiaries.
(b)-(c) The decision was taken in June 2010 at a meeting of the Executive Management Committee, chaired by the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform in line with the new mandate of DRDLR.
(d) A communiqué was released to all DRDLR provincial offices to give effect to the Department's decision and to communicate with stakeholders whilst the PLAS manual was being reviewed. The Minister further initiated workshops with all redistribution beneficiaries (LRAD, SPLAG, SLAG, PLAS and Commonage Grant) to communicate the programmes and objectives of DRDLR as well provide a platform for the Department's clients to air their challenges. These workshops will culminate in the National Land Reform Workshop with representatives from all departmental stakeholders, scheduled for 27 and 28 May 2011.
(2) No. Potential sales have not been affected as DRDLR is still buying land from willing sellers and provides access to the land to land reform beneficiaries.
(3) Yes. DRDLR resolved to finalise all LRAD projects that have been approved through the Provincial Grants Approval Committees where funding was already committed at the time the adjustments were made. 83 LRAD projects totalling 41,740.5055 hectares were transferred through LRAD.
QUESTION NO:1080
Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Correctional Services:
(1) Whether, with reference to the educational tour to the United States of America that she undertook in March 2011 to meet with her peers at the prison of the City of New York regarding best practice, she had been invited to undertake this tour; if not, who initiated the tour; if so, (a) by whom had she been invited, (b) what was the motivation to undertake the study tour to New York and (c)(i) how many persons from her department accompanied her, (ii) what were the total costs related to the visit by her and her staff and (iii)(aa) how many meetings were held and (bb) with which officials of the prison of the City of New York were they held and (d) what advantage did her department gain from the study tour;
(2) whether a report on (a) her visit and (b) the findings that she made during her visit (i) was compiled and (ii) will be published; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details, in each case;
(3) whether she (a) was requested or (b) herself requested to be accredited as a delegate to the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women that was held at the United Nations during the same period in which her study tour had been offered; if so, by whom was she requested to do so;
(4) whether she attended any meetings of the commission, which took place over a period of two weeks; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many and (b) which meetings did she attend;
(5) whether she will make a statement on the matter ?
NW1200E
REPLY
(1) and (2)
The visit was an initiative by the Ministry of Correctional Services as a follow-up on previous visits and discussions. The purpose of the visit was to consolidate the relationship, with the intention of signing a Memorandum of Understanding once there is agreement on areas of co-operation such as training of our officials on the anti-gang strategy. The meetings were held with senior officials of the City of New York Prison. The total cost was R833 659-12
(3) The Minister was not a delegate of the conference. However; she would have attended had it been possible.
(4) Not applicable
(5) No
QUESTION 1046INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 9-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 March 2011
1046. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
Whether his department makes use of external consultants to assist it to fulfil its mandate; if not, why not; if so, (a) what kind of work are such consultants hired to carry out, (b) what is the (i) minimum and (ii) maximum duration of such contracts and (c) how much money has been spent to hire such consultants (i) in each of the past three financial years and (ii) during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available? NW1164E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
Yes.
(a) Valuations, Financial Management, State Attorneys, Project Management, Land and quantity surveyors etc.
(b) (i) One day.
(ii) Three years.
(c) (i) 2007-2008: R179 021 537.60;
2008-2009: R172 312 578.83; and
2009-2010: R180 051 674.01
(ii) 1 April 2010 - 28 February 2011: R112 846 134.88
QUESTION 1045
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 9-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 March 2011
1045. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) Whether any measures have been put in place to assist Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) nodes to become economically viable areas; if not, why not; if so, (a) what measures and (b) which (i) entities and (ii) persons are involved in this programme;
(2) whether any (a) long-term plans and (b) specific training plans for rural communities are included in these specified measures; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW1163E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1)Yes.
(a) and (b)(i)-(ii) There are four components of the Social, Technical, Rural Livelihoods and Institutional Facilitation (STRIF) Branch that are directly and indirectly responsible for ensuring the economic viability of CRDP sites. These components are led by Chief Directors at national level. The components are as follows:
- Social Organisation and Mobilisation: tasked to strengthen the organisational capacity of rural communities for driving and taking control of their own development decisions, which is a critical factor for local economic development;
- Technical Support, Skills Development and Nurturing: tasked with supporting skills development and capacity building of new enterprises and nurturing these new enterprises together with existing ones;
- Rural Livelihoods and Food Security: directly responsible for the development and support of enterprises and is therefore pivotal in promoting the economic viability of the CRDP sites/nodes. It also ensures that rural people are assisted with capacity to generate wealth through their resources; and
- Institutional Building and Mentoring: focuses on the critical aspect of indentifying existing and new institutions to drive rural development. The most critical forum for driving the CRDP is the Council of Stakeholders (CoS) which is nurtured by this component.
(2)(a) and (b) Yes. The long-term plans are to build the capacity of community structures such as the Councils of Stakeholders to become the main vehicles of development efforts in rural communities. This will be achieved through collaboration with institutions with proven experience in local development and governance. Support will also be provided to cooperatives that exist in CRDP sites through partnering with departments and institutions that offer capacity building programmes for cooperatives. Training and skills development of rural community structures and institutions in general and the capacity building of the Councils of Stakeholders in particular are included in the business plans of the STRIF Branch.
QUESTION 1019
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 9-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 March 2011
1019. Mr J H van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) What percentage of land in private possession, (a) in each province and (b) in total is under the (i) control or (ii) ownership of (aa) white persons, (bb) black persons, (cc) coloured persons, (dd) Indian persons and (ee) foreign citizens;
(2) whether he intends determining land possession on a demographic basis; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, on which provision of the Constitution does he rely in this regard? NW1134E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1)(a), (b)(i)-(ii)(aa)-ee) The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR), through its Deeds Registration Branch, at this stage only keeps information relating to registered land parcels and is therefore not able to provide the information requested.
(2) Yes. The Department will not be relying on the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 but on the Statistics Act which is a law of general application. In accordance with section 14(1) of the Statistics Act, the Department has informed the Statistician General of the intention of the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform to gather statistical information, on a demographic basis, relating to private possession of land. This will also include statistics relating to ownership of land by foreigners. After receipt of such authority from the Minister of Finance, the Deeds Registries Act will be amended accordingly and an agreement will be entered into with the Statistician-General for purposes of jointly collecting the data in question.
QUESTION 1018
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 9-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 March 2011
1018. Mr N Singh (IFP) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
Whether the additional funding that has been provided for land claims will pay outstanding claims as well as current and future claims; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1133E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
No. The additional funding of R2 billion provided for land claims during the 2010-2011 financial year was not sufficient to pay for all outstanding, current and future claims.
QUESTION 976
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 8-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 March 2011
976. Mr J H van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) What percentage of (a) land in each province is in possession of or under the control of (i) the State or its organs, (ii) private owners (iii) traditional authorities and (b) persons reside on land that is in the possession of or under the control of ((i) the State or its organs, (ii) private owners and (iii) traditional authorities? NW1094E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(a)(i)-(iii) A desktop analysis on information from both the cadastral surveys Management and Deed Registration Branches was completed and revealed the following:
Province | (a) Land in possession / under control of (%): | ||
(i) State or its Organs | (ii) Private Owners | (iii) Traditional Authorities | |
Eastern Cape | 28% | 72% | All trust and communal Land is currently captured as state land |
Free State | 11% | 89% | |
Gauteng | 55% | 45% | |
Kwazulu-Natal | 41% | 59% | |
Limpopo | 27% | 73% | |
Mpumalanga | 24% | 76% | |
Northern Cape | 8% | 92% | |
North West | 42% | 58% | |
Western Cape | 55% | 45% |
(b) (i) The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, through its Cadastral Surveys Management and Deeds Registration Branches, only keeps information relation to surveyed and registered land parcels. It would be impossible at this stage to provide the information required. A state land audit is envisaged, whereafter this information would be available. This audit will commence in May 2011 and will be completed by December 2014. The project entails physical inspection of each land parcel.
(ii) The department can only provide information relating to ownership.
(iii) To be determined during the land audit discussed above.
QUESTION 941
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 8-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 March 2011
941. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) What is the current turnaround time for documents to be processed by each deeds office in each province;
(2) whether his department prescribes any specific time for a document to be processed; if not, why not; if so, what is the prescribed turnaround time;
(3) whether any backlogs exist in any deeds office; if so, (a) what is the reason for the backlogs, (b) what is currently being done to resolve this situation and (c) when will the backlogs be cleared? NW1059E
MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) Please refer to the table below.
Information provided as at February 2011 | ||||||||||
PTA | CTN | JHB | PMB | BLM | KWT | KMB | VBG | UMT | MPU | |
AVERAGE NUMBER OF WORKING DAYS FROM: | ||||||||||
Lodgement to Preparation | 6 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
Registration to Delivery | 80 | 45 | 82 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
(2) Yes. The Department's Strategic Plan for 2010–2013 prescribed the turnaround times as seven (7) days from lodgement until examination is completed and fifteen (15) days after registration until registered deeds/ documents are delivered.
(3) Yes. In Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
(a)-(c) Please refer to the table below.
Deeds Office | (a) Reason | (b) what is being done to resolve this situation | (c) when will the backlogs be cleared |
Pretoria | ICT related problems | - network lines have been split and mail transfer server has been moved to another location; - additional staff members were appointed; and - voluntary overtime was implemented. | June 2011 |
Johannesburg | There is a backlog in the scanning section that is caused by the system which is very slow. | - network traffic has been routed to SITA; and - additional staff members were appointed. | June 2011 |
Cape Town | - Staff resignations and the moratorium on the filling of posts that was imposed; - poor standards of conveyancing resulting in a reject rate of between 20-25 %. | - advertised for interns and junior examiners and hope to be sufficiently staffed shortly to meet the targets. | June 2011 |
QUESTION 940
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: [No 8-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 March 2011
940. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) Whether any staff members of his department are currently on suspension or special leave; if so (a) how many, (b) in what positions are they, (c) why are they suspended or on special leave, (d) when were they suspended or put on special leave and (e) what is the time frame for each case to be finalised;
(2) whether any positions are currently vacant in his department; if so, (a) how many, (b) which positions, (c) since when have these positions been vacant and (d) what is the time frame for each to be filled? NW1058E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) Yes.
(a) Six employees are on special leave and eight employees are on suspension as indicated in the table below. It should be noted that the timeframes for finalisation of cases where disciplinary hearings are ongoing do not factor postponements.
SPECIAL LEAVE | |||
(b) POSITION | (c) WHY | (d) (d) START DATE | (e) END DATE |
Deputy Director | Suspended Special Leave | 20110303 | 20110411 |
Project Officer | Study Leave | 20110315 | 20110331 |
Assistant Director | Study Leave | 20110307 | 20110407 |
Deputy Director | Study Leave | 20110308 | 20110408 |
Director | Study Leave | 20110309 | 20110411 |
Deputy Director | Study Leave | 20110310 | 20110412 |
SUSPENSION | |||
(b) POSITION | (c) WHY | (d) DATE SUSPENDED | (e) TIMEFRAME FOR FINALISATION |
Project Officer | Mismanagement of project. Failure to provide support to Pro Active Land Acquisition Strategy (PLAS) beneficiaries. | 20090420 | 3 months |
Manager | Threats of physical harm to another official. | 20100301 | 2 months |
Registrar of Deeds | Registration of deeds in contravention of Deeds Registries Act, Regulations and good practices. | 20100712 | 3 months |
Assistant Registrar of Deeds | Registration of Deeds in contravention of Deeds Registries Act, Regulations and good practices. | 20100917 | 3 months |
Chief Planner | Fraud, corruption and falsification of records. | 20100312 | 3 months |
Project Officer | Fraud, corruption and falsification of records. | 20100420 | 3 months |
Manager | Failed to comply with legislation, Regulations or legal obligation. Section 45a of PFMA. Mismanagement of state finances. | 20100312 | 3 months |
Project Officer | Fraud, corruption and falsification of records. | 20100723 | 3 months |
(2) Yes.
(a)-(c) 627. Please refer to Annexure A.
(d) A maximum period of three months from the date of advertisement. Following the review of the Departmental structure, funded posts will be created on the PERSAL system. This will result in an increase of vacancies on the PERSAL system.
QUESTION 939
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 8-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 March 2011
939. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
Whether any contractors were appointed by his department to assist land reform beneficiaries to work and plant arable land; if so, (a) how many contractors were appointed, (b) how many land reform farms were involved, (c) (i) which farms were involved, (ii) what was the name of the contractor who assisted on each specified farm, (iii) how much was spent on each farm, (iv) from which budget were the costs incurred and (v) for how long did the specified contractor assist in each case in each province and (d) who is monitoring this project? NW1057E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
No. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform does not appoint contractors as part of its Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RADP) but uses Strategic Partnership and Mentorship in the implementation of the programme to provide support to farms in distress.
(a) 36 Strategic Partners and Mentors.
(b) 168 farms involved.
(c) (i)-(iii) Please refer to Annexure A.
(iv) The costs will be paid from the RADP Budget which is 25% of the baseline allocation for acquisition of strategically located land.
(v) Please refer to Annexure A.
(d) KPMG and Sikela have been appointed by the Department as the project managers to monitor all farms under recapitalisation and development for a period of three years. The two companies will be complemented by teams of experts from the provincial departments of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as from DRDLR's Provincial Shared Service Centre's (PSSC).
QUESTION 895
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 8-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 March 2011
895. Mr D A Kganare (Cope) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
Whether his department has been successful in ensuring that all of the 2.9 million hectares of land handed over to beneficiaries as part of the land reform programme remained commercially viable and productive; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW988E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
No. For this reason, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has introduced the Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RADP) which is an intervention strategy aimed at providing support to distressed farms so that they can become commercially viable and productive.
The RADP seek to respond to challenges of collapsing land reform projects and defunct irrigation schemes in the former homelands as well as distressed farms owned by private individuals. The objectives are to increase production, enhance food security, graduate small farmers into commercial farmers and create employment opportunities within the agricultural sector.
To this end, the Land Reform Branch set aside 25% of the baseline of the land acquisition budget amounting to R900 million for the 2010-2011 financial year. The target for the 2010-2011 financial year was to recapitalise 504 distressed farms. To date approximately 852 distressed farms have been advertised for expressions of interest by either mentors or strategic partners interested in making them commercially viable and productive across the country. A total of 411 farms were selected from the 852 advertised farms by both strategic partners and mentors through normal tender processes and direct sourcing.
QUESTION 826
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 6-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11 March 2011
826. Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
Whether (a) his department or (b) any of its affiliated entities have purchased any tickets for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: if not, why not; if so, (i) what process has been followed to purchase these tickets, (ii) how many tickets have been purchased, (iii) for which matches, (iv) what has been the total cost of these tickets, (v) what are the reasons for purchasing these tickets, (vi) to whom will each of these tickets be allocated and (vii) on what was the decision for the allocations of these tickets based? NW898E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(a) and (b) No. Departmental policy does not permit the purchasing of such tickets.
(i) – (vii) Falls away.
QUESTION 614INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 4 - 2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 07 March 2011
614. Mr P van Dalen (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) (a) Which travel agencies or travel service providers does his department use currently and (b)(i) how and (ii) when were they appointed in each case;
(2) what was the (a) budgeted amount and (b) actual amount paid to each specified service provider for departmental travel expenditure in the (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10 financial years? NW657E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) (a) Travel with Flair.
(b) (i) Through open competitive tender [K7/3/6/3(21)].
(ii) 1 August 2009.
(2) Total Travel Expenditure
Financial Years | (a) Budgeted Amount | (b) Actual Amount Paid |
(i) 2007-08 | R90 437 650.00 | R98 306 300.88 |
(ii) 2008-09 | R99 619 500.00 | R102 954 994.17 |
(iii) 2009-10 | R74 780 616.00 | R70 167 892.12 |
QUESTION 507
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: [No 3-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 February 2011
507. Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
Whether (a) his department or (b) any (i) agency or (ii) institution which receives transfers from his departmental budget employs staff to perform the duties set out in the Minimum Information and Security Standards (Miss) that were adopted by Cabinet on 4 December 1996 or any subsequent version of the Miss; if not, why not, in each case; if so, in each case, (aa) how many and (bb) what (aaa) is the job title, (bbb) is the employment level, (ccc) are the academic qualifications, (ddd) is the salary and (eee) are the other benefits of each specified staff member? NW553E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(a) Yes.
(b)(i)-(ii) No. The Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) presently occupies only one property which is secured by a contracted service provider who is registered in terms of legislation applicable to private security service providers. With regard to data security, the Chief Executive Officer of the ITB is tasked with this responsibility.
(aa) Department of Rural Development and Land Reform: 36
(bb) (aaa)-(ddd) Please refer to the table below.
(eee) The Director and Deputy Directors as member(s) of the senior management service and middle management service respectively receive all-inclusive remuneration packages and may qualify for a performance bonus. Employees on salary levels 6-10 may qualify for benefits such as housing allowances, service bonuses, medical assistance, pension contributions and performance bonuses.
(bb)(aaa)-(ddd) | |||||
NO | (aaa) | (bbb) | (ccc) | (ddd) | |
JOB TITLE | SALARY LEVEL | SECONDARY QUALIFICATION | TERTIARY QUALIFICATION | NOTCH (R) | |
1 | DIRECTOR | 13 | STD 10 | B-TECH AND POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT | 780,580 |
2 | DEPUTY DIRECTOR: PHYSICAL SECURITY | 12 | STD 10 | ND: SECURITY MANAGEMENT | 525,279 |
3 | ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: PHYSICAL SECURITY | 10 | STD 8 | ND: PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 377,877 |
4 | PRINCIPAL SECURITY OFFICER | 7 | STD 10 | NONE | 240,712 |
5 | PRINCIPAL SECURITY OFFICER | 7 | STD 10 | NONE | 223,605 |
6 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 212,619 |
7 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 8 | NONE | 210,079 |
8 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 212,619 |
9 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 8 | NONE | 210,079 |
10 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 212,619 |
11 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 8 | NONE | 212,619 |
12 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 191,034 |
13 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 186,618 |
14 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 188,815 |
15 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 210,079 |
16 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 188,815 |
17 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 186,618 |
18 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | TECHNICAL: SECURITY | 188,815 |
19 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 188,815 |
20 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 188,815 |
21 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 186,618 |
22 | SENIOR SECURITY OFFICER | 6 | STD 10 | NONE | 188,815 |
23 | ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: SECURITY COMPLIANCE | 10 | STD 10 | ND: SECURITY MANAGEMENT | 372,894 |
24 | SECURITY INVESTIGATOR | 10 | STD 10 | B TECH: POLICE MANAGEMENT | 372,894 |
25 | SENIOR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION OFFICER | 8 | STD 10 | NONE | 267,890 |
26 | ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: SCREENING | 10 | STD 10 | BSc (SW) | 398,582 |
27 | SECURITY VETTING OFFICER | 10 | STD 10 | BA: TECHNOLOGIA | 377,877 |
28 | SECURITY VETTING OFFICER | 10 | STD 10 | BA: ARTS | 372,894 |
29 | VETTING INVESTIGATOR | 7 | STD 10 | NONE | 220,895 |
30 | VETTING INVESTIGATOR | 7 | STD 10 | NONE | 220,895 |
31 | VETTING ADMINISTRATOR | 7 | STD 10 | NONE | 220,895 |
32 | DEPUTY DIRECTOR | 12 | STD 10 | ND: SECURITY RISK MANAGEMENT | 543,147 |
33 | ASSISTANT DIRECTOR | 9 | STD 10 | ND: SECURITY MANAGEMENT | 206,982 |
34 | ASSISTANT DIRECTO | 9 | STD 10 | ND: SECURITY MANAGEMENT | 206,982 |
35 | ASSISTANT DIRECTOR | 9 | STD 10 | ND: POLICE MANAGEMENT | 206,982 |
36 | ASSISTANT DIRECTOR | 9 | STD 10 | ND: SECURITY MANAGEMENT | 206,982 |
QUESTION 401
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 2-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 February 2011
401. Mr D A Kganare (Cope) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) With reference to his reply to question 1408 on 8 June 2010, (a) who was tracing the claimants, (b) what method was used to trace them and (c)(i) how and (ii) when were they traced;
(2) why was this claim gazetted as if it was in Ladybrand;
(3) (a) who are the researchers who were appointed to research this claim, (b) how much were they paid, (c) when did they submit their report to his department and (d) what did his department do with the report;
(4) what progress has been made in handing over the farm in the 2010-11 financial year, as prioritised by him, since there are only two months left of the current financial year? NW435E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) (a) Officials from the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform's Free State Regional Land Claims Commission.
(b) Enquiries, advertisements and visitations.
(c) (i) Via the South African Post Office, Department of Home Affairs, local and national newspapers and local residents.
(ii) Between 2005 and 2006.
(2) The gazetting of the claim as Ladybrand (Altona No 3) was an error. The Regional Land Claims Commissioner took corrective measures of amending the gazette notice, and placing the correct property which is Sechoaro (Altona) no. 184, in terms of section 11A of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 (Act No 22 of 1994).
(3) (a) Liebenberg and Dinthloane Company.
(b) R20 500.00.
(c) September 2006.
(d) The report was vetted by the Provincial Vetting Committee which comprises the Regional Land Claims Commissioner, representatives of the Legal Unit, the Project Manager and the Project Officer. A validation memorandum was prepared to gazette the claimed property as it met the requirements of section 2 of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 (Act No 22 of 1994).
(4) During the 2010-2011 financial year a moratorium was placed on the gazetting of claims as a result of funds not being available to settle claims. The Sechoaro (Altona) no 184 claim is prioritised for settlement during the current financial year (2011-2012).
QUESTION 292
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 2-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18 February 2011
292. Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) How many documents have (a) his (i) ministry and (ii) department and (b) any (i) institution or (ii) agency which receives transfers from his departmental budget classified as (aa) top secret, (bb) secret, (cc) confidential and (dd) restricted under the provisions of the Minimum Information Security Standards that were adopted by the Cabinet on 4 December 1996 in the (aaa) 2005-06, (bbb) 2006-07, (ccc) 2007-08, (ddd) 2008-09 and (eee) 2009-10 financial years;
(2) what is the (a) name and (b)(i) rank or (ii) employment level of the official who decided on the classification at each specified public body? NW314E
MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1)(a)(i)-(ii),(b)(i)-(ii)(aa)-(dd)(aaa)(eee) An indeterminate number of documents has been classified in compliance with the Minimum Information Security Standards (MISS). Due to the lack of clear guidelines pertaining to the preparation of schedules of classified information per category, it is not possible to provide the details requested. It is envisaged that the recent review of existing policies on information security and the tabling of the Protection of Information Bill, 2010 in Parliament will result in a new and uniform system.
(2)(a) and (b)(i)-(ii) The MISS provides that the author of the document, defined as the head of an institution, or the person acting on his/her behalf, who prepares, generates, or initially classifies a document or has it classified, does the classification. Authors may range from members of the Senior Management System (SMS) to professionals of various sorts (analysts, field or desk officers, secretaries, personal assistants, financial experts etc) guided by their supervisors.
QUESTION 162
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 1-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: [10 February 2011]
162. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
In terms of section 4 of the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, Act 62 of 1997, (a) how many applications were made for subsidies and (b) how much has his department paid over for subsidies since the inception of the Act? NW175E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(a) 475 applications were received for subsidies as contemplated in the Extension of Security of Tenure Act, 1997 (Act No 62 of 1997), to protect farm workers' and farm dwellers' rights on the land that they are occupying. It should be noted however that it is the Land Reform: Provision of Land and Assistance Act, 1993 (Act No 126 of 1993) that provides for funds to be set aside for off-farm settlement (where the occupiers purchase a portion of the farm or the whole farm), as part of securing the tenure rights of such occupiers.
(b) R351 357 738.00 has been provided as financial grant assistance in terms of the Provision of Land and Assistance Act, 1993.
QUESTION 141
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 1-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: [10 February 2011]
141. Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
What (a) statutory provisions, (b) regulations, (c) policy instruments and (d) practices govern the (i) classification, (ii) protection against the release or access, (iii) protection for other purposes such as preservation and (iv) release upon request for access of (aa) documented information and (bb) undocumented information held by (aaa) his department or (bbb) any other entities who receive budgetary transfers from his department? NW153E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(a) Protection of Information Act, 1982 (Act No 84 of 1982);
Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act No 2 of 2000);
National Archives of South Africa Act, 1996 (Act No 43 of 1996); and
Public Service Act,1994.
(b) Public Service Regulations.
(c) and (d)(i)–(iv)(aa) and (bb)(aaa)-(bbb) Promotion of Access to Information Act Manual; Minimum Information Security Standards (MISS) as approved by Cabinet; Internal Security Policy; Internal ICT Policy; Document Security Procedures and Security Vetting Procedures.
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 123
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 7-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11 March 2011
123. Mr Z Mlenzana (COPE-EC) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
Whether his department has been successful in ensuring that all of the 2.9 million hectares of land handed over to reform beneficiaries as part of transformation remain (a) commercially viable and (b) productive; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? CW163E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
No. For this reason, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has introduced the Recapitalisation and Development Programme (RADP) which is an intervention strategy aimed at providing support to distressed farms so that they can become commercially viable and productive.
The RADP seek to respond to challenges of collapsing land reform projects and defunct irrigation schemes in the former homelands as well as distressed farms owned by private individuals. The objectives are to increase production, enhance food security, graduate small farmers into commercial farmers and create employment opportunities within the agricultural sector.
To this end, the land reform branch set aside 25% of the baseline of the land acquisition budget amounting to R900 million for the 2010-2011 financial year. The target for the 2010-2011 financial year was to recapitalise 504 distressed farms. To date 852 distressed farms have been advertised for expressions of interest by either mentors or strategic partners interested in making them commercially viable and productive across the country. A total of 411 farms were selected from the 852 advertised farms by both strategic partners and mentors through normal tender processes and direct sourcing.
QUESTION 29
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: [No 1-2011]
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 10 February 2011
29. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:
(1) Whether any claims have been lodged for the acquisition of land in terms of Chapter 3 of the Land Reform (Labour Tenants) Act, Act 3 of 1996; if so, (a) how many claims (i) have been lodged, (ii) were gazetted and (iii) were approved, (b) what is the status of all the outstanding claims and (c) how much has the finalisation of each one of these claims cost his department since the inception of the Act;
(2) whether there are any claims where there is a conflict between the labour tenant and restitution claims on land; if so, (a) how many, (b) in which areas were these claims lodged and (c) how many of these claims are currently outstanding? NW38E
THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:
(1) Yes.
(a) (i) A total of 18,128 claims were lodged in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN),
Mpumalanga and North West (NW) provinces.
(ii) A total of 4,064 claims were gazetted in KZN and Mpumalanga (MP).
(iii) A total of 8,530 claims were approved by the Provincial Shared Service Centres (PSSCs) in KZN and Mpumalanga as valid claims in terms of the Labour Tenants Act, 1996 (Act No 3 of 1996). 3 claims in the NW province were settled by the PSSC in terms of the LRAD and PLAS redistribution sub-programmes.
(b) There has not been much progress achieved in the settlement of labour tenant claims due to, amongst other things, lengthy legal processes, budget constraints and pending restitution research on competing land claims.
(c) A total of R 559,008,175.12 has been spent in all three affected provinces.
(2) Yes.
(a) 58
(b) 1: NW - Ratlou Local Municipality, Ngaka Modiri Molema District;
16: Mpumalanga - Gert Sibande, Ehlanzeni and Enkangala District Municipalities; and
41: KZN - Zululand, Amajuba and Sisonke District Municipalities.
(c) 24: 15 in KZN; 9 in Mpumalanga; and none in North West.