Questions and Replies

The right of Members to put questions to Ministers is an important part of ensuring the executive authority’s accountability to the Provincial Parliament. Questions may be put to Ministers related to their spheres of responsibility. Replies to questions are either given orally in the House or in writing. The replies to oral questions are recorded in Hansard.

On this page you can search questions for written reply. Use one or more of the search fields by making a selection from the relevant dropdown menu. You can also do a text search by entering a search term in the text field– specific search terms will render a better result. Click ‘Apply’. The results will be displayed in the table below. Click on ‘Question Link’ to view the full result. When you are searching, it is advisable to complete as many of the search fields as possible in order to narrow down the results.

Question Question Number Date Question Link

(a) What is the involvement of his Department in next year’s Minstrel Carnival, (b) what is the allocated budget for the 2026 event, (c) what is the (i) involvement of the national Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in the Minstrel Carnival and (ii) budget that has been allocated to the 2026 event?

 15 3 October 2025 19973

With regard to the 2025/26 financial year:

In what upcoming (a) sport and (b) culture events in the province is his Department involved?

 16 3 October 2025 19972
  1. (a) What is the number of firearms that have been smuggled into the province from (i) Namibia and (ii) other SADC countries over the past five years and (b) what steps has her Department taken, in collaboration with SAPS and national security agencies, to close the loopholes that allow the smuggling of firearms across our borders;
  2. whether she can provide an update to the joint investigations between the SAPS and the Namibian Police Force (Nampol) into the smuggling of Namibian state-owned firearms; if so, what are the relevant details;
  3. whether her Department has a dedicated strategy to disrupt the flow of automatic rifles, such as AK-47s, smuggled along Namibian routes; if so, what are the relevant details;
  4. what is the impact of these firearms on gang violence in communities such as Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain and the broader Cape Flats?
 21 19 September 2025 19956
  1. (a) Which foreign countries are identified as major sources of smuggled firearms into the province, (a) what is the current estimated number of illegal firearms in circulation in the province and (c) how many of these firearms are believed to have been smuggled in from outside South Africa;
  2. (a) how many firearm smuggling syndicates – specifically targeting the province – have been identified in the past three years, (b) how many arrests have been made, (c) how many offenders have been charged and (d) how many successful convictions resulted;
  3. how many illegal firearms have been confiscated by SAPS in the province in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025 to date?
 8 19 September 2025 19955

In regard to the Western Cape SAPS Forensic Laboratory:

(a) What is the current SAPS backlog of DNA cases in the province, broken down by (i) GBV or rape, (ii) murder, (iii) property crime and (iv) missing persons, (b) what is the average turnaround time calculated from the submission of samples to the laboratory to the delivery of test results, (c)(i) how many cases are at risk of being removed from court rolls or being withdrawn because the forensic evidence has been delayed and (ii) how many cases have already been removed or withdrawn, (d)(i) what is the current staff complement at the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory and (ii) how does this compare to the required or ideal staffing level and (e) how many SAPS forensic laboratories are in the province?

 7 19 September 2025 19954

Given the critical need to strengthen mathematics and science education to
address skills shortages in key sectors, and noting the success of initiatives such
as the Kutlwanong ProMaths Programme, which achieved a 100% pass rate
among Liberty-funded learners in and around Philippi despite pandemic
challenges:
(1) Whether his Department currently has or supports a similar Pramaths’
initiative aimed at improving learner performance in mathematics and
science; if not, (a) what are the reasons for not implementing such a
programme and (b) what alternative interventions are in place to achieve
comparable outcomes; if so, (a) what are the relevant details and (b) what
are the (i) targeted schools or districts, (ii) partnerships with private sector
or NGOs, (iii) measurable outcomes and success rates to date and (vi)
plans for expansion or scaling to underserved communities;
(2) how does his Department plan to collaborate with proven models (such as
Kutlwanong) or innovate further to ensure that learners, particularly in
under-resourced areas, receive the necessary support to excel in STEM
fields?

 3 22 August 2025 19953

With reference to the issue of so-called “ghost teachers” in the education
system:
(1) (a) How many cases of ghost teachers have been identified in (i) 2022/23,
(ii) 2023/24 and (iii) 2024/25 to date, broken down by education district, (b)
what was the total estimated cost to the provincial fiscus of these ghost
teacher salaries for the same period as in (a) above, (c) what internal
control and verification systems are currently in place to (i) detect and (ii)
prevent ghost teachers being paid, (d) how many investigations into cases
of ghost teachers are currently ongoing and (e) what measures are being
taken to ensure disciplinary action or criminal prosecution where fraud is
found;
(2) (a) what is the impact of cases of ghost teachers on the availability of
funded educator posts in the province, (b) how has this affected classroom
delivery, specifically with respect to learner–teacher ratios in high-pressure
districts, (c) how many of the cases of ghost teacher involved collusion by
school management or district officials and (d) what remedial measures
have been instituted to prevent any recurrence;
(3) whether his Department has any plans to make use of digital biometric
attendance, centralised HR or payroll auditing or collaboration with the
Auditor-General and the Provincial Treasury to strengthen oversight and to
reduce the risk of ghost teachers remaining undetected; if so, what are the
timelines for implementation?

 13 19 September 2025 19952
  1. (a) What was the rationale behind invoking section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution to dissolve the Knysna Municipal Council instead of applying for support in terms of section 154 of the Constitution or intervening in terms of section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution, (b) what specific factors justified dissolution rather than alternative interventions, (c) what other forms of intervention were considered prior to dissolution and (d) why were those alternatives deemed inadequate;
  2. whether any other municipalities in the province are currently under consideration for intervention by his Department; if so, which municipalities are being assessed;
  3. whether any of the municipalities in (2) above are being considered for potential dissolution in terms of section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution; if so, what are the relevant details;
  4. why were those support efforts provided to the municipality insufficient to restore functionality;
  5. whether any weaknesses were identified in the provincial support model; if so, what are the relevant details;
  6. (a) how will the appointment of an Administrator address the systemic governance failures in the municipality and (b) what measures are in place to ensure that the Administrator acts impartially;
  7. (a) what lessons has his Department drawn from the Knysna intervention and (b) how will these be applied to improve support for other struggling municipalities across the province?
 22 19 September 2025 19951

 

  1. (a)(i) What is the current status of the N2 Express Pilot Integration Project and (ii) what key milestones have been achieved to date, (b)(i) which routes or areas are currently included in the N2 Express Pilot and (ii) how were they selected and (c) what measurable outcomes or indicators are being used to assess the success of the pilot project;
  2. whether there are plans to expand the N2 Express integration model to other corridors or regions in the province; if so, which areas are being considered;

 

(3) what lessons have been learned from the pilot project that will inform future public transport integration strategies in the province and (b) what (i) budget and (ii) resources have been allocated for the continuation or expansion of the N2 Express integration initiative in the last three financial years?

 14 19 September 2025 19950

Given anecdotal reports that Government Garage–branded (GG-branded) vehicles have increasingly been targeted in robberies, placing public servants and their families in danger, and considering that GG vehicles are managed by Government Motor Transport (GMT):

(a)  What is the total cost to each department for the management and operation of GG vehicles, (b) how many incidents of robbery or related crimes involving GG-branded vehicles have been reported in each department over the past three years and (c) what measures has the Department put in place to (i) reduce the risk of such incidents and (ii) improve the safety of public servants who rely on GG vehicles?

 1 23 October 2025 19949

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