2023-w1453 - 22 May 2023

Thapelo Mogale to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

Given that Indigenous Knowledge Registration Systems (IKRS) have been cited by his department as pivotal systems in the preservation of indigenous knowledge, (a) what kind of indigenous knowledge is stored in the specified systems and (b) how accessible are the IKRS to the (i) general public and (ii) academic populace?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 22 May 2023

a) What kind of indigenous knowledge is stored in the specified system?

The knowledge in the system is constructed around indigenous claims of communities across the country. It includes knowledge on African Traditional Medicine, indigenous food, agriculture, astronomy, arts and culture, governance and other Indigenous Knowledge disciplines. The current metadata makes provision for multimedia recordings of African Traditional Medicine and indigenous food.

The other ...

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2023-w1545 - 22 May 2023

Chantel King to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

What is the expenditure on fuel and/or diesel during Stages (a) 4 and (b) 6 of load shedding for (i) his department and (ii) each of the entities reporting to him?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 22 May 2023

Name of the SETA

(a) (ii)

Expenditure of fuel and/or diesel during Load shedding Stage 4 by 31 March 2023 (2022/23)

(b) (ii)

Expenditure of fuel and/or diesel during Load shedding Stage 6 by 31 March 2023 (2022/23)

AGRISETA

R37 788 .00

R0.00

BANKSETA

R43 521.66

 

(Diesel expenditure from April 2022 to 31 March 2023 for both stages. Due to the Frequent change between ...

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2023-w1544 - 22 May 2023

Chantel King to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

With reference to the ageing infrastructure of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which has been identified as one of their biggest challenges, what (a) is the lifespan of the infrastructure, (b) is the cost to replace the ageing infrastructure and (c) has he found is the impact that ageing infrastructure has on the operations of the CSIR?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 22 May 2023

a) The typical anticipated lifespan of a commercial and light industrial building generally falls within the range of 50 to 60 years. However, it is worth noting that a majority of the CSIR buildings surpass this age threshold, as they are over 60 years old. Currently, significant efforts and investments are dedicated to building maintenance with the objective of extending the lifespan of these ...

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2023-w1539 - 22 May 2023

Nomsa Innocencia Tarabella Marchesi to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

What (a) intellectual property (IP) rights have been sold to international companies that have not benefited South African companies, (b) amount were they sold for, (c) were the spin-offs companies accrued from the specified IP rights and (d) number of jobs did the international companies create in their respective countries?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 22 May 2023

  1. INTRODUCTION

The Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act (IPR Act) was enacted in 2010 with an objective to ensure that intellectual property (IP) emanating from publicly funded research and development (R&D) is identified, protected, utilised, and commercialised for the benefit of the Republic.

Section 11(1)(c) of the IPR Act further states that "The recipient determines the nature and conditions ...

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2023-w1538 - 22 May 2023

Nomsa Innocencia Tarabella Marchesi to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

(1)What is the budget allocation of the (a) National Skills Fund (NSF) and (b) sector education and training authorities (SETAs); (2) what is the staff component of (a) NSF and (b) each SETA; (3) what is the budget allocation for (a) salaries of (i) NSF and (ii) each SETA and (b) rentals of properties utilised by both the NSF and SETAs respectively; (4) whether there is an overlapping of responsibilities between NSF and SETA; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the (a) responsibilities that overlap and (b) reasons for the replication of responsibilities; (5) what number of job opportunities have NSF created for women, people with disabilities and the youth?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 22 May 2023

1. (a) National Skills Fund (NSF), according to Section 27(2)(a) of the Skills Development Act No. 97 of 1998, the NSF is funded by 20% of the collected skills levy. The table below shows the NSF budget allocation for the year under review (2022/23), the current financial year (2023/24), and the two subsequent years.

b) Budget allocation for the Sector Education and Training Authorities ...

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2023-w1379 - 22 May 2023

Nomsa Innocencia Tarabella Marchesi to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

(1)Of the research work conducted by South African institutions including research conducted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, how much work has resulted in Intellectual Properties (IPs) in the past five years; (2) what total number of (a) IPs have resulted in job opportunities and (b) jobs have been created in the past five years; (3) what total number of IPs are not being utilised for the benefit of South Africans; (4) which IP can be used to benefit South Africans in terms of infrastructure, namely housing, roads and energy, but are not utilised for the purpose they were researched for; (5) what total amount has his department spent in the past five years on IPs which are not utilised for the benefit of South Africans?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 22 May 2023

1. The Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act (IPR Act) was enacted in 2010 with an objective to ensure that intellectual property (IP) emanating from publicly funded research and development (R&D) is identified, protected, utilised, and commercialised for the benefit of the Republic.

In terms IPR Act, institutions (including Higher Education Institutions and Science Councils) must report to the National ...

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2023-w1377 - 22 May 2023

Nomsa Innocencia Tarabella Marchesi to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

(1)Whether the Republic is currently conducting Cannabidiol (CBD) research; if not, why not; if so, (a) what specific outcomes are envisaged to be gained from the research, (b) what total number of studies are being conducted and (c) where do the scientists get the resources required for the research; (2) whether there is a particular strain that the scientists are working on; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) (a) who are the beneficiaries of CBD research and (b) what total number of (i) women and (ii) persons living with disabilities who own spin-off companies and/or start-ups have benefited from the research?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 22 May 2023

1. Various government entities and private organisations are conducting research on cannabis species, i.e., hemp and marihuana. The Cannabis Industrialisation Masterplan prioritises research, development and innovation on CBD for various health conditions and industrial applications.

a) It is envisaged that various research outcomes from CDB research will yield commercial health products for the treatment of priority health conditions like cancers, diabetes, neurogenerative diseases, hypertension, ...

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2023-w1452 - 22 May 2023

Thapelo Mogale to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

Considering that in numerous presentations by his department it was cited that the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project will bring about skills development and employment opportunities to the Republic, (a) what total number of job opportunities are prospectively planned for the eventual roll-out of the SKA project, (b) what kind of skills will be developed in the process and during the roll-out of the SKA project, (c) by what date does he envisage the specified aspirations will be realised and (d) how will the SKA project impact the youth in townships and rural areas?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 22 May 2023

a) The basis for determining the number of job opportunities that will arise from the deployment and operation of the SKA project is guided by analysis that was done on the job opportunities[1] that were created through the establishment and operation of the South African MeerKAT telescope – a precursor to the SKA telescope. An independent economic modelling exercise indicated that the MeerKAT ...

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2023-w1181 - 19 April 2023

Annacleta Mathapelo Siwisa to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

In light of the R80 million defrauding scam pertaining to student accommodation by (a) officials and (b) former leadership of the student representative council of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, what measures has he put in place to combat corrupt practices among tertiary officials?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 19 Apr 2023

The Department supports investigations into corrupt practices taking place at universities, including at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Law enforcement agencies are currently seized with the investigations, once they have concluded their investigations, I will ask for an official report. The Department further welcomes the courage of the whistle-blowers who have exposed corruption, and its officials will continue to monitor all accommodation related reports. ...

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2023-w859 - 18 April 2023

Naledi Nokukhanya Chirwa to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

With reference to his reply to question 146 on 28 February 2023, wherein he stated that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) would undergo a process of engaging with accommodation providers to consider accommodating students funded by NSFAS with the R45 000 cap, (a)(i) which accommodation providers has (aa) NSFAS and/or (bb) he and/or his department engaged to date and (ii) what are the outcomes of such engagements, (b) what happens in cases where the specified recommendations by his department to accommodation providers are not adopted across the board and (c) who will carry the shortfall of the affected students?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation on 18 Apr 2023

a) (i) (aa) NSFAS embarked on hosting workshops with accommodation providers in all nine provinces. The aim of these workshops was to clarify the accommodation cap and encourage accommodation providers to register their properties on the NSFAS accommodation portal to accredit the properties and subsequently place students.

(ii) The sessions culminated in accommodation providers submitting applications for 48 375 beds. To date 13 030 ...

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