QUESTION

As Chairperson of the Human Resource Development Council of South Africa, what measures are in place to ensure that Adult Education and Training is (a) prioritised and (b) fast-tracked for people who are currently employed in the formal and informal sectors and who have never had the opportunity of an education?
                                                                                                                                                                                                              
REPLY

Honourable Members,

Education is critical if we are to build a fair, equitable and prosperous South Africa. Adult education is an important component of the education process.

Since 1994, adult education has been pursued through courses at higher education institutions, workplace training, and lifelong learning or continuing education programmes.

Many people have used adult education to gain knowledge, improve skills or increase literacy and numeracy. I am informed by the Minister for Higher Education and Training that there are 259 646 people in public centres and 1 823 in private centres who are accessing adult education in South Africa.

Community colleges were instituted by Cabinet in 2013.

Minister Nzimande has indicated that  these new types of colleges will cater for everybody who attended school but who could not complete; those who were unable to attend school  as well as affording opportunities for those who do not qualify for admission to TVET colleges and Universities.

The community colleges are going to prepare students, many of whom will be adults for the labour market or for self-employment. They will offer the General Education and Training Certificate and the National Senior Certificates for Adults.

It is estimated that 3.3 million people who are not in employment, education or training will benefit from these colleges.

These will incorporate the existing public adult learning centres and represent a third tier of institutions alongside Universities and TVET colleges.

Nine Community Colleges Administrative Centres were established on 1 April 2015, one in each province. These centres are facilitating the merger of existing public adult learning centres into community colleges.

Following the merger, pilot community colleges will be established in 2016. Thereafter the colleges will be progressively rolled out throughout the country.

The Department of Higher Education and Training is available to elaborate on specific measures put in place to help workers in the formal and information sectors to acquire basic education and technical skills required to gain mobility in the labour market.
 
I thank you.

QUESTION

Has he found that the new dispensation of the e-toll system will be financially viable both for the SA National Roads Agency Limited to continue operating the system and for ordinary South Africans who have to pay for the system?

REPLY

The new e-toll dispensation seeks to achieve a balance between the need, on the one hand, to finance the construction and maintenance of a freeway system that will serve Gauteng now and into the future, and, on the other hand, to minimise the financial impact on ordinary South Africans, particularly those from low to middle-income households who use Gauteng’s freeways.

The new dispensation aims to be fair, affordable and sustainable.

The new dispensation draws on the findings of the Advisory Panel appointed by Gauteng Premier David Makhura in July 2014 which was meant to conduct a comprehensive impact assessment of e-tolls in the province.

The panel’s findings were based on thorough consultations with stakeholders, public meetings, research and round table discussions with experts on transport, the economy and the environment.

The Advisory Panel found that the implementation of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project has benefited the economy and the people of Gauteng through a better quality road system, reduced travel time, improved fuel efficiency, reduced vehicle operating costs and improved logistics efficiencies.

However, it also found that, in its current form, the e-toll system places a disproportionate burden on low and middle income households.

The new dispensation dramatically reduces the costs to all motorists travelling on Gauteng’s freeways. It does away with the costs of people who use them infrequently.

It does not penalise people who do not have e-tags. And it provides extremely favourable terms for people who are currently in arrears.

One of the principles of the new dispensation is to safeguard the integrity of the fiscus and, in particular, the South African National Roads Agency’s ability to raise funds to meet its mandate of improving and building our road system.

The new dispensation supports this principle by ensuring that SANRAL’s revenue expectations are maintained through the hybrid model announced and that it is sustained by the continuation of the user-pay principle.

For Gauteng residents the new improved roads provide significant economic and social benefit and the tariff is equitable in terms of the benefit.

The new dispensation also ensures that future road upgrades and expansions are possible.

Additionally, this principle alleviates the burden on the state and it can therefore fund the backlog on maintenance of existing roads from the national budget.

In short Honourable Members, as journalist Lucas Ledwaba writes in the Sowetan yesterday, there comes a time in history when a government must take difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions and act in the best interests of the country and its citizens.

I thank you

QUESTION

What measures does the SA National Aids Council intend to implement to ensure that the Higher Education HIV/AIDS Programme (HEAIDS) (a) reaches out to rural and/or village campuses of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges and (b) integrates communities around those campuses?
                                                                                                                                                                                                              
REPLY

Since the formal announcement of the expansion of the Higher Education and Training HIV and AIDS Programme to the Technical Vocational Education and Training sector in December 2013, significant progress has been made.

The Higher Education AIDS programme has been launched in most campuses of Technical Vocational Educational and Training colleges across all nine provinces.

The programme aims to capacitate 20 000 peer educators every year on issues such as HIV and TB, gender based violence and teenage pregnancy.

It is envisaged that peer educators from colleges in rural communities will disseminate this knowledge among members and structures within the affected communities.

This programme was established in response to a concern by the South African National Aids Council (SANAC) and the Department of Higher Education and Training that Technical Vocational Educational and Training colleges were ill-equipped to respond to HIV, TB and STIs.

As part of the programme, a study has recently been conducted on HIV and AIDS Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour in the TVET sector. This study has identified gaps in HIV and AIDS awareness and will further inform the kinds of interventions needed.

The South African National Aids Council has supported this programme by raising funds from the Global Fund.

As SANAC is responsible for ensuring all departments implement their programmes as part of the National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs, the Higher Education AIDS programme will be monitored to ensure that it reaches rural village campuses especially in areas most affected by HIV.

SANAC will also work with local AIDS Councils to ensure that TVET programmes are integrated with their communities.

I thank you

QUESTION

In view of the lessons from fast-growing economies like China, where parastatals have played the major role in economic growth, while in South Africa it seems that parastatals are not adding value to economic growth, (a) what steps has he taken with regard to the South African Airways, Eskom and the SA Post Office to change the situation, particularly because it is mainly caused by poor appointments of the Board including executive directors and (b) does he intend to change the Government’s approach of deploying political cadres in strategic positions while they are not competent?

REPLY

Honourable Members,

State owned companies are an important part of the South African economy and remain essential to advancing government’s industrialisation programme and broader development objectives.

Over the past ten years, parastatals have accelerated investment in the economy, which has fuelled growth and helped mitigate the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis.

Over the past four years, state owned companies have invested nearly R470 billion in the economy.

While South Africa’s state owned companies have been largely successful in carrying forward the mandate of the developmental state, there have also been significant challenges.

These challenges have been identified in the Presidential Review Committee on State-Owned Entities, which has made a number of far-reaching recommendations.

The Cabinet Lekgotla held earlier this year mandated the Office of the Deputy President to oversee the implementation of these recommendations.

As we reported in the Presidency Budget Vote Debate, notable progress has been made in turning around Eskom, South African Airways and the South African Post Office.

With the support of the war room located in the Presidency, progress has been made in the implementation of government's five-point plan on electricity as well as the elements of the government support package. Governance and leadership challenges at Eskom are being addressed.

In addition, government has tabled the bills for the appropriation of the R23 billion equity injection it committed to provide to Eskom and the amendment bill for the conversion to equity of the subordinated loan. Both of these interventions will strengthen Eskom’s financial position. Government is firmly on track with the sale of the assets to fund the allocation to Eskom which will ensure that there is no impact on the Budget deficit.

Other examples of progress made include improvements in performance at Majuba and Duvha power stations and extension of IPP contracts.

The going concern status of South African Airways has been restored, through the 90 Day Action Plan cost savings of R1.2 billion will be realised. The long term turnaround strategy is being refined and has been encapsulated into the company’s corporate plan.

Under the leadership of the Administrator, a strategic turnaround plan has been developed for the Post Office. A thorough diagnostic review was undertaken and a business model that is better suited to the changing postal services environment has been developed.

There are several reasons why some state owned companies under-perform, including high operating costs, and poor operational performance, unclear policy frameworks, from difficult, highly competitive and rapidly changing operating environments and weak management and governance.
Governance is one of the key areas that need to be strengthened.

In December 2014, Cabinet approved the establishment of a task team to develop common principles for persons nominated to serve on boards of state and state controlled institutions.

It is critical that people appointed to the boards of state owned companies demonstrate the requisite experience, skills and commitment to effectively fulfil their functions. This is an imperative that government takes seriously and to which he dedicates much time and effort.

We must dispel the myth that the people who run our parastatals are ill-equipped to do so, or that they occupy their positions merely by virtue of political affiliation.

An honest assessment of leadership in our parastatals will prove that such claims are untrue.

I thank you.

Issued by The Presidency