304. Mr M Chetty (KwaZulu-Natal: DA) to ask the President of the Republic:
Whether there are any challenges that are experienced by South African citizens who are studying medicine in China; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what challenges? CW544E
Reply:
The Committee of Medical Deans, which consists of all the Deans of medical schools in South Africa, has noted a sharp increase in the number of applications by returning foreign trained medical graduates from countries such as China, Russia and Turkey who request to complete their clinical training programmes in South Africa.
In the past, with small numbers of foreign trained medical graduates returning, a number of medical schools could manage to support the graduates. However with the increasing numbers, our medical schools are unable to accommodate all of the returning students.
Due to the limited resources and increased demand, the Deans of medical schools have agreed to prioritise the placement of students who have been trained abroad through a formal South African Government-to-Government agreement.
The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), which regulates training and registration of all South African health professional students, also has stringent criteria on which it approves the number of students each university can place on the clinical training platform. Further, on returning to South Africa, the foreign trained medical students are required to undertake the HPCSA admissions examination in order to register as practitioners in South Africa, which is a practice that is required by law.
In dealing with this challenge, the health sector encourages privately funded South African students who have been accepted to undertake medical related studies abroad, to complete their entire medical training programme, including their full session of clinical rotations within the country where they pursued their medical studies.
Medical students are also encouraged to first check with the HPCSA for advice on their choice of foreign country in which to do their medical training. This assists in limiting the risk of not being able to complete and register as a medical doctor in South Africa upon return.
The long term solution is to increase the capacity of South African institutions to enrol medical students, which requires significant investments. In addressing this, the Department of Health is currently working with the National Department of Higher Education and Training, through the Joint Health Sciences Education Committee, to plan for the expansion of medical education in South Africa.
305. Ms T G Mpambo-Sibhukwana (Western Cape: DA) to ask the President of the Republic:
Whether he will implement the recommendations of the Public Protector’s state capture report; if not, why not; if so, when? CW546E
Reply:
I have taken on review some of the remedial actions contained in the Public Protector’s report entitled State of Capture. The matter was heard in Court on 24 and 25 October 2017 and judgement has been reserved. I therefore cannot comment further on the matter until the Court delivers its judgement.
306. Mr F Essack (Mpumalanga: DA) to ask the President of the Republic:
Whether he will release the feasibility report regarding no-fee on higher education; if not, why not; if so, when? CW547E
Reply:
The report was released on 13 November 2017.
307. Mr W F Faber (Northern Cape: DA) to ask the President of the Republic:
Whether he supports the nuclear deal despite it being unnecessary and the National Treasury indicated that there is not enough money to fund it; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? CW549E
Reply:
Guided by the 1998 White Paper on Energy, government took a policy decision to pursue the energy mix which includes coal, nuclear, solar, wind, gas and hydro. Cabinet further endorsed the Nuclear Energy Policy of 2008 that represents the government’s commitment to develop an extensive nuclear energy programme to ensure energy security whilst reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and increasing job creation opportunities.
Government reiterates that the Nuclear New Build Programme will be undertaken at a pace and scale that the country can afford, as part of the general energy mix that we are pursuing in order to ensure energy security for the country. Government is committed to a process that is open and transparent, cost effective and competitive.
308. Mr F Essack (Mpumalanga: DA) to ask the President of the Republic:
How does he intend to deal with corruption which has permeated South Africa? CW550E
Reply:
Since the advent of democracy, government has placed the fight against corruption very high on its agenda. The fifth administration has continued with this tradition, which passed from one democratic President to the next.
A plethora of measures have been adopted to eradicate corruption. We are further strengthening these measures in line with our commitments in the National Development Plan and the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF).
In fact it is because government has dedicated a lot of effort in combating corruption, both in the public and the private sector, that corruption has occupied a priority space in public dialogue. Statements by opposition parties casting doubt on the government’s work in this regard are therefore misleading and inaccurate.
In the majority of Government’s policy deliberations, and in its strategic policy documents, the significant challenges posed by corruption and how it undermines good governance, state authority and service delivery have been acknowledged. These challenges and their root causes have been clearly articulated in the National Planning Commission’s Diagnostic Report of 2011; in the Twenty Year Review published in 2014; and the National Security Strategy (NSS) approved by Cabinet in December 2013. All these measures elevate countering corruption to a national security priority.
The South African government adopted a multi-agency approach on which comprehensive anti-corruption architecture, composed of a range of institutions to address corruption from different angles, was created and sets the direction towards ensuring that a resilient anti-corruption system is in place. A number of strategies to address corruption were subsequently developed, initiatives were launched and mechanisms established to expose corrupt practices in South Africa.
Government continues to be committed to fighting corruption in all its forms. In 2010 I established the Anti-Corruption Inter-Ministerial Committee, which has been tasked to fight and eliminate corruption wherever it manifests itself. The Anti-Corruption Inter-Ministerial Committee, led by the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Jeff Radebe, is supported through existing government mechanisms and structures to ensure execution and implementation of government’s anti-corruption agenda.
Other measures strengthening the anti-corruption work of government include establishment and strengthening of anti-corruption agencies. Government has also enacted various pieces of legislation that empower business, government and Non-Governmental Organisations to act against corruption. The latest of these is the Protected Disclosures Amendment Act, 2017 (Act No. 5 of 2017), which I assented in July 2017.
Also, since 2009 to date, I have signed 84 proclamations authorising the Special Investigating Unit to investigate maladministration and corruption in government and state institutions. South Africa has also acceded to and ratified a number of important international anti-corruption instruments, which include the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC); the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol against Corruption; and the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Officials in International Business Transactions. The implementation of these instruments has been strengthened since 2009.
We have recorded positive outcomes of the measures that we have instituted to deal with the bane of corruption. These include improving our country’s position from ranking 72 out of 177 countries in 2013 to being ranked 64 out of 176 countries in the 2017 corruption barometer. In May 2017 government launched a discussion document on a proposed Anti-Corruption Strategy for the entire country. Over the coming months, nation-wide consultations will be undertaken with the aim of reaching consensus on the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. Once approved, this Strategy will serve as a guide for the crafting of anti-corruption sub-strategies not only by government entities but by all non-state actors such as business and civil society organisations.
In November 2017 government launched the revised Local Government Anti-Corruption Strategy that aims at achieving three main objectives, which are to promote community ownership; strengthen municipalities’ resilience against corruption; and build trust and accountability through effective investigation and resolution.
The fight against corruption is a continuous and dynamic process, which requires all citizens to be actively on-board. As new manifestations of corruption are revealed, gaps in the existing approach, strategies, interventions and application of existing pieces of legislation and policies are identified for strengthening and review.
For further details and specifics on the information provided in this response, I urge the Honourable Member to refer to the attached supporting document.
309. Mr G Michalakis (Free State: DA) to ask the President of the Republic:
What actions he intends to take against the Minister of Finance who has been unable to balance the budget? CW551E
Reply:
The Minister of Finance continues to perform his tasks diligently working with the collective in Cabinet, in a difficult economic climate, and he has our full support.
I have directed the Minister of Finance, Mr Malusi Gigaba, assisted by the Presidential Fiscal Committee, to identify concrete measures to urgently address the challenges identified in the 2017 Medium-term Budget Policy Statement.
I have also, together with the Cabinet, re-affirmed government's commitment to maintain a sustainable fiscal framework and to ensure that a solution is found to address the approximately R40 billion gap that has been identified, through a combination of expenditure reductions and revenue-enhancing measures.
I further directed that technical discussions of the Presidential Fiscal Committee should take place, led by Minister Gigaba and the National Treasury, to focus on four areas, with a view to the proposals that emanate from this process being considered through the budget structures in preparation for the 2018 Budget.
The four areas are: to identify and finalise proposals for cuts in expenditure amounting to about R25 billion. Such proposed cuts should not be in areas that will negatively affect economic growth prospects and job creation; to identify and finalise proposals for revenue-enhancing measures amounting to about R15 billion, including where appropriate, tax measures; to develop a phased-implementation plan to enable the proposal for fee-free higher education for students from poor and working-class backgrounds, to be implemented in a fiscally-sustainable manner; and to identify the package of economic stimulus measures that will be implemented to enable the economy to grow at a faster rate.
I will also be meeting with the Presidential Fiscal Committee to receive a progress report on the work done on the above.
310. Mr G Michalakis (Free State: DA) to ask the President of the Republic:
Whether he received any payments from a certain (a) person and/or (b) company (details furnished) at any time since his appointment to office on 9 May 2009; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? CW553E
Reply:
I did not receive any payments from private individuals or companies during my tenure as President of the Republic of South Africa other than those disclosed or reported to the necessary authorities.
311. Mr L B Gaehler (Eastern Cape: UDM) to ask the President of the Republic:
Whether, with regard to the strategic role of the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as catalysts for integrated rural and urban development, there are any black owned businesses in the rural areas that directly benefit economically and socially from SOEs; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many and (b) how do they benefit? CW554E
Reply:
South Africa has over 700 State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Many black owned businesses that operate in rural areas directly benefit economically and socially from the SOEs that we have in our country. Land Bank for instance finances over 1600 black businesses. Similarly with Alexkor, whose core business is mining of diamonds, supports 58 black owned businesses. Denel also supports a number of 100% black owned catering and transport businesses.
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), through its Infrastructure Delivery Division, often acts as an implementing agent for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure projects on behalf on national, provincial and local government. Through this support, contractors appointed to execute the projects are expected to allow subcontracting to local subcontractors and suppliers. Since its establishment in 2013, the Infrastructure Delivery Division has issued work that has benefited 2 239 Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs) across the country. Of these SMMEs and Sub-contracting opportunities, 2 088 benefited from projects that were implemented in the rural areas. In addition, DBSA has created 22 594 work opportunities for local labour in projects implemented in the rural areas since 2013.
A significant number of black owned businesses economically and socially benefit from Eskom in both rural and urban areas through supplier development and localisation drive as well as Corporate Social Investment in community education, health and developmental projects.
Transnet continues to drive growth through the expansion and modernisation of the country’s ports, rail and pipelines infrastructure, and contribute to the quality of life for all South Africans by proactively enabling the broader objects of the National Development Plan.
The South African Forestry Company Limited, which is one of the largest SOEs in the country, also supports rural based black owned businesses through its enterprise development and preferential procurement programmes.
State Owned Enterprises have been recognised as a strategic lever in the economy and must continue to be utilised to influence the effective transformation in the economy and society, particularly in rural communities.
312. Ms M C Dikgale (Limpopo: ANC) to ask the President of the Republic:
Whether, in light of persistent high levels of unemployment, under-employment and widespread poverty in the townships (details furnished), the Government will develop a national policy framework for leveraging the potential of township economies, especially in developing small and large-scale manufacturing sites and firms; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? CW558E
Reply:
The development of township enterprises is a critical part of inclusive growth and real economic transformation. Many township entrepreneurs are excluded from opportunities in the major commercial centres. The spatial geography of apartheid has created a divide between where the majority of residents live and where they work and shop. This imposes enormous costs on workers and consumers and our spatial planning policies, including the Integrated Urban Development Framework, have highlighted this as a legacy we must urgently overcome.
A township-focused enterprise strategy therefore makes sense and will help to boost economic inclusion. We are already implementing key elements of the strategy to boost township enterprises, increase involvement of all South Africans in the economy and expand opportunities.
Through the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA), many small businesses located in townships have received loans and industrial funding to enable them to enter new markets or expand their businesses. In 2016, disbursements by the Agency totalled around R1 billion and this was targeted to township and rural enterprises.
As was announced in the 2017 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, a new fund for small and medium-sized enterprises will be operational soon with an allocation of R1.5 billion. The National Informal Business Upliftment Strategy is also available to help township enterprises to upgrade their activities.
Through the Competition Commission Market Inquiry into the grocery retail sector, government is looking specifically at the competition spaza shops face from larger malls and the factors that may limit the growth of the township grocery retail market. The actions against cartels and monopolies are further means of opening space for township enterprises. It was, for instance, through the complaints of township shops that the investigation into the bread cartel was launched.
With respect to youth entrepreneurs, government provides financial support to youth owned businesses through SEFA, the National Empowerment Fund and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). During 2016/17 financial year, the IDC approved R2.3 billion funding to youth-empowered businesses, which are those with more than 25% youth equity ownership. In 2016, SEFA reported that it approved funding of R222 million to over 10,000 youth owned businesses.
Much is being done to empower youth and develop township enterprises. However, given the legacy of apartheid planning and the dire extent of youth unemployment, there is still much more that needs to be done.
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