Whether he will elaborate in a comprehensive manner the bases of the predicted revenue increase for the SA Post Office of an average annual rate of 4.7% per cent, from R5.5 billion in the 2021-22 financial year to R6.3 billion in the 2024-25 financial year, which he alluded to in the recent debate on Budget Vote 30; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
The revenue budgets for the SA Post Office are contained in the Corporate Plan. In determining the revenue budgets in the Corporate Plan the following aspects were taken into consideration:
• Current revenue
• Current cost
• Revenue projects and initiatives
• Cost containment projects and initiatives
• Revenue tariff increases
• Inflationary increases
The budget is as per the Corporate Plan 2023/24FY is ...
With reference to his reply to question 1210 on 19 May 2023 and the costs associated with the upgrade of the Digitech website, (a) what is the name of the company, entity and/or person to whom the contract was awarded to redesign the website, (b) who are the directors and/or members of the entity that was awarded the specified contract, (c) what specifications and/or requirements were required in the design, (d) what is the purpose and function of the new website, (e) what was the justification for the cost of almost R 750 000 for redesigning the website and (f) what are the reasons that an outside service provider was appointed instead of the State Information Technology Agency that designed the original website?
I have been advised by the Department as follows:-
(a) No external service provider was awarded the contract, as SITA was tasked by the DCDT to develop the website.
(b) No external service provider was awarded the contract, as SITA was tasked by the DCDT to develop the website.
(c) All requirements for the solution have been included in the User Requirement Specification (URS). ...
What steps has the Government taken thus far in bringing to book the persons who were found to be responsible for using the monies that were intended for implementing a turn-around strategy at the SA Post Office (SAPO) for consumption instead of investing it in infrastructure and modernisation, something which has been a contributing factor in the decline of the SAPO and its eventual provisional liquidation?
Government has over the years embarked on several interventions to get the South African Post Office (SAPO) back on track and these include a total of R7.3 billion cash injection between 2016 and 2019 during the tenure of the former Group CEO. Unfortunately, despite all the previous Government interventions, SAPO’s recovery has been slow. The entity continued battling to generate enough revenues to fully ...
Whether his department has put any plan in place to review the funding model of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa to (a) include self-funding hybrid provisions and (b) align the required funding in relation to the benefits derived from the digital strategy of the Republic; if not, what is the position in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
No, the Department currently has no plan in place to review the funding model of ICASA. Further, ICASA has not submitted a proposal for a revised funding model.
Thank You.
Whether, with reference to priority two in her performance agreement with the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa, she is on track to complete the specified target by the set date; if not, why not; if so, (a) by what percentage has her department reduced unemployment, (b) what total number of jobs has her department created, especially for the youth, (c) what economic growth has her department been able to achieve and (d) what growth in levels of investment has her department achieved?
The Department is finalising a research study that will serve as the basis for the Cost to Communication review model and/or plan for the 2022/2023 annual accounting period. The study will provide the required information for the construction of the review model and/or plan, which will be completed at the end of 2023/2024 financial year.
(a) The Department has been focusing on SMME development ...
Whether he will consider amending the regulations to allow companies such as Starlink to operate within the Republic, where it is in the public interest to be exempted from the 30% equity requirement (details furnished); if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW2491E
The 30% equity to be held by historically disadvantaged groups as enunciated in the regulations is derived from section 9(2)(b) of the Electronic Communications Act (Act No. 36 of 2005) as amended. On this basis, the regulations giving effect to the provisions of the Act, cannot be amended until the ECA is amended.
Any interested party, including Starlink can engage the Regulator to seek ...
1. Whether he will furnish Ms T Bodlani with a list of (a) government departments and (b) entities with bank accounts in the Postbank; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
2. Whether he will furnish Ms T Bodlani with a list of services that the Post Bank provides to the specified government departments and entities that are currently utilising the services of the Post Bank; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
3. Which government departments and/or entities have pledged to bank with the Post Bank?
(1)(a)(b) The Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 of 2013 (POPI Act), specifically Section 11, prohibits the dissemination (disclosure) of personal information about data subjects (entities or individuals) without their consent.
(2) Services rendered to government and entities transacting with Postbank include:
• Disbursement of net stipends/wages to Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) participants.
• Disbursement of social grants to beneficiaries of social ...
In light of the continued talks about the 4th industrial revolution and how the level of communication within society is fast depending on technology, what are the details of the (a) collaborations she has undertaken with the Department of Basic Education to introduce technological ways of promoting teaching and learning in schools and (b) schools that will be using technological ways of teaching and learning, with specific reference to township schools and schools in rural areas?
(a) The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has collaborated with the Department of Basic Education to introduce technological ways of promoting teaching and learning in schools. By issuing policy direction to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) during the Covid-19 pandemic to release temporary spectrum license to telecommunications operators, an obligation was put in place to provide broadband connectivity for 17 ...
Considering that in his Budget Vote speech in 2023 he reiterated that the aim of his department is to enhance connectivity to government facilities such as schools, health facilities and government offices with high-speed internet access which would, in turn, enable them to serve as connectivity hubs for their users and surrounding communities, and noting that he committed to connecting 1,7 million households with broadband connectivity by the end of the 2023-24 financial year, what (a) progress has been made in fulfilling the specified aim since his commitment and (b) total number of households have been connected with broadband connectivity to date?
a) The commitment aims to enable 1.7 million households to access internet services by expanding infrastructure, which will be utilized by partnering Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide metered internet services.
• The deployment of infrastructure to provide access has not yet commenced. In May 2023, the Treasury confirmed accessibility to the allocated funds, and the process to finalize the disbursement of funds has ...
Whether illegal acts, which compromise state security and the relations of the Republic with other states are executed without the knowledge of the Government as upon his ascension as Chairperson of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee that no arms to Russia were approved by the Republic and that, if any weapons were loaded onto a vessel to Russia, it was done so illegally; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
RESPONSE BY THE MINISTER M. GUNGUBELE, MP. CHAIRPERSON OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTIONAL ARMS CONTROL COMMITTEE (NCACC).
PQ1875 (NW2126E)
The above question relates to claims that were made by the US Ambassador R. Brigety on the 10th May 2023 that a Russian Vessel Lady R which had come to offload equipment for the South Africa National Defence Force (SANDF) at Simonstown Navy Dockyard, had loaded ...
