2024-w105 - 21 February 2024

Tsholofelo Katlego Motshidi-Bodlani to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

Whether the State Information Technology Agency has contingency plans to ensure noninterrupted services during loadshedding; if not, why not; if so, (a) on what date will such plans be implemented and (b) what are the specific details of the plans?

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 21 Feb 2024

I have been informed by the SITA as follows:

Yes, SITA has implemented various contingency plans to ensure non-interrupted services during load shedding.

(a) Ongoing.

(b) SITA operates a total of twenty-six (26) Switching Centre and ten (10) Data Centre facilities across the country, which are central in the provision of network connectivity and hosting services, respectively.

• All these facilities are equipped with ...

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2024-w3373 - 08 January 2024

Zandile Majozi to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

Whether his department has its own target for job creation and growth within the communications sector; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 8 Jan 2024

The DCDT does not have a target for job creation. However, it subscribes to Government’s overarching programme on job creation and reducing unemployment. In this regard, the ICT sector and digital economy are viewed as key levers. Some of the areas identified in creating jobs include: broadband connectivity; broadcasting digital migration; digital skills; electronic equipment installation and refurbishment such as set-top box installation, fibre ...

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2024-w3433 - 08 January 2024

Samantha Jane Graham to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

What measures have been taken to accommodate employees from closed post offices; 2. what (a) measures have been put in place to facilitate the payment of stipends and grants which would ordinarily have been paid at the closed Post Offices, (b) number of beneficiaries have been affected and (c) measures have been taken to assist the affected beneficiaries, including the means of communication?

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 8 Jan 2024

1. Employees from closed Post Offices are offered redeployment to other workplaces based on staffing requirements.

(2)(a) Beneficiaries are referred to the nearest branches, retailers and banks for access to their grants.

(2)(b) SAPO has closed a number of branches nationwide, and amongst the closed branches are SASSA paying offices. The SAPO does not have a measure of determining the number of affected beneficiaries ...

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2024-w4089 - 08 January 2024

Tsholofelo Katlego Motshidi-Bodlani to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

(a) How has the R745 million debt that is owed to Sentech by the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) for signal distribution impacted Sentech’s operations, (b) how did the debt impact the long-awaited transition from analogue to digital signal distribution, (c) what interventions did the department make to mitigate the impact of the SABC’s debt to Sentech and (d) how will the SABC finance (i) its debt to Sentech and (ii) future distribution costs?    W5370E

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 8 Jan 2024

(a) & (b) The non-payment of the debt has impacted negatively on Sentech’s cashflow which in turn affects the company’s ability to fulfil its commitments in relation to CAPEX and operational working capital initiatives and maintenance plans.

(c) The DCDT advised the two entities to work together outside third parties to find a workable solution to resolve the signal tariff dispute. The two Boards ...

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2024-w3746 - 08 January 2024

Mzwanele Manyi to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

Noting the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks, what measures are being taken to enhance the cybersecurity capabilities of the Republic and protect the personal data and privacy of citizens and businesses?

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 8 Jan 2024

In 2016, the Department established the national Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT), namely the Cybersecurity Hub, as per the National Cybersecurity Policy Framework of 2015. The Cybersecurity Hub acts as the national CSIRT responsible for the private sector and citizens. It delivers various services including, among others, incident coordination, cybersecurity assessment and advisory services, cybersecurity awareness building and collaboration with private sector industry ...

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2024-w3068 - 08 January 2024

Sarel Jacobus Francois Marais to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

(1)On what date(s) did the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) hold its scheduled meetings in the (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023 calendar years to consider applications for all the (i) import and (ii) export permit applications as defined by the National Conventional Arms Control Act, Act 41 of 2002; (2) whether the NCACC has considered the instability that prevailed between Russia and Ukraine in both 2021 and 2022; if not, why not; if so, (3) whether the NCACC has considered any applications for imports and exports to and from Belarus, which has provided its territory to Russia since its first attacks on Ukraine, actively supported and participated in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and now houses the Russian Wagner private military group; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 8 Jan 2024

1.

1.1 The NCACC Meetings are scheduled to take place on the last Thursday of each month from February to November in each year. Dates of scheduled NCACC meetings for 2021, 2022 and 2023 are as follows:

1.2 The 2021 meetings though scheduled as per ussual, were held virtually due to the protocols that were under COVID 19 Controls as prescribed under the State ...

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2024-w4090 - 08 January 2024

Tsholofelo Katlego Motshidi-Bodlani to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

In light of the fact that in October 2023, the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) employees embarked on a strike, requesting a 7.5% remuneration increase, (a) how did the strike impact SITA in its mandate to provide Information Technology services to various Government Departments, (b) what were the outcome of the agreement made with the Public Servants Association to end the strike and (c) how will SITA finance the remuneration increase?

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 8 Jan 2024

(a) The impact of the strike was mitigated through a robust business continuity and contingency plan. Critical ICT services continued to be provided during the strike.

(b) SITA and PSA agreed on a 5% salary increase across the board and a once off ex-gratia payment of R8326,45 per qualifying employee.

(c) The salary increase was fully funded from the planned 2023-2024 financial year labour ...

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2024-w2285 - 08 January 2024

Sarel Jacobus Francois Marais to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

Whether, with reference to the institution of an inquiry by the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa, into matters surrounding the docking of the Russian vessel, Lady R, in Simonstown in December 2022, the import permits granted in 2019 and 2020 were still valid to offload Russian ammunition while the ship was docked and/or any applications for export permits for munitions to be loaded onto the specified vessel were received; if not, was the validity of the import permits extended by the National Conventional Arms Control Committee; if so, what are the details and reasons that the extension and the export permit application were not reported to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence?

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 8 Jan 2024

  1. The NCACC confirms that the import permits granted in 2019 and 2020 were not valid at the time of the offloading Russian ammunition while the ship was docked and/or any applications for export permits for munitions to be loaded onto the specified vessel were received.
  2. This is because the Permits issued at any given time have a limited lifespan and may only be extended to keep ...
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2023-w3999 - 22 December 2023

Sinawo Tambo to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

Whether the SA Broadcasting Corporation has relinquished its part ownership on videos that were produced during the 1980s in partnership with record companies; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what were the terms of the termination?

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 22 Dec 2023

The Rules Committee took a decision on 4 and 23 November 2022, in respect of questions requesting information prior to 1994, that such questions should take into account the possible non-availability of information before the pre-democratic era (see page 10 of attached ATC).

The SABC has indicated that it is proving difficult to track information dating back to the 1980s.

Thank You.

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2023-w3145 - 22 December 2023

Alexandra Lilian Amelia Abrahams to ask the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies

On what date was the last SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) payment technical infrastructure and software updated by the SA Postbank, (b) what (i) year and (ii) model is the payment technical infrastructure and software currently in use for SASSA payments and (c) what is the cost of the payment technical infrastructure and software for the current financial year?

Reply from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies on 22 Dec 2023

(a)-(b) The South African Postbank SOC Ltd processes and pays SASSA grants using an Integrated Grant Payment System (IGPS) based on FSS Tech 5.1.0 Software and a payment switch, Postillion Switch 5.6 Software. The payment switch was last updated on 28 September 2023, version 2023.V1.5.0.  

(c) The payment technical infrastructure and software, IGPS are licensed until March 2024 for R32.2 million for the duration of ...

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