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

With regard to veterinary capacity in the province:

  1. (a) Why does his Department employ only 8 state veterinarians and not recruit more permanent staff, (b) what has been the cost of using 26 private veterinarians in the past five years and (c) what steps are being taken to strengthen the permanent veterinary capacity;
  2. (a) how many vacant posts are funded, but remain unfilled, and have been advertised and (b) what measures is his Department implementing to fill these vacancies urgently in order to prevent further service delivery failures?
 13 2 April 2026 20638
  1. Whether his Department can provide an update on the status of the housing development on parcels of land in Hout Bay acquired in 2018 through the Western Cape Housing Development Agency for the purpose of delivering approximately 1 400 housing opportunities; if so, (a) what is the current status of the project and (b) what progress, if any, has been made since acquisition;
  2. whether the required statutory, planning and environmental approval processes for the development have been completed; if not, why not; if so, (a) which approvals have been obtained, (b) when were these approvals granted and (c) which authority granted each approval;
  3. whether there are any outstanding statutory, planning or environmental processes that are required before the development can proceed; if so, (a) what these outstand-ing processes are, (b) what are the reasons for the delays and (c) what are the expect-ed time frames for their completion;
  4. what budget allocations have been made towards the project since the land was acquired?
 12 2 April 2026 20637
  1. What immediate interventions is his Department implementing to resolve delays in land ownership authorisations that continue to stall critical development projects, such as the MAHAMA Housing Project in Khayelitsha and electrification initiatives in informal settlements;
  2. with inner-city housing projects facing prolonged delays and affordability concerns, (a) what are the revised timelines for their completion and (b) how does his Department define and ensure affordability for genuinely low-income households?
 11 2 April 2026 20636

Given that one in five households in the province experiences food insecurity and in the light of the looming petrol increase expected in April 2026, how is his Department responding to the crisis of food insecurity, especially through this budget?

 10 2 April 2026 20635

Whether his Department has assessed the impact of the looming increase in petrol prices; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the findings of the assessment and (b) how this is expected to affect commuter fares from April 2026;
(2)
whether his Department has put measures in place to mitigate the impact of the anticipated fuel price increase of between R4,50 and R5,00 per litre on commuters;
if not, why not; if so, (a) what measures have been implemented and (b) which categories of commuters are expected to benefit from these interventions;
(3)
whether his Department has plans to provide financial or operational support to the minibus taxi industry to cushion fare increases; if not, why not; if so, (a) what form will this support take, (b) how many operators are expected to benefit and (c) what is the time frame for implementation;
(4)
whether his Department has engaged with public transport stakeholders, including taxi associations and bus operators, regarding the management of fare increases; if not, why not; if so, (a) what have the outcomes of these engagements been and (b) what agreements, if any, have been reached to protect commuters?

 9 2 April 2026 20634

With a budget of R2,01 billion allocated to the Human Settlements Programme:

(1)(a) Aside from the Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) and the Informal Settlements Upgrading Partnership Grant (ISUPG), what other sources are being used to fund the Human Settlements Programme and (b) what elements of the Human Settlements Programme do these other sources of funding fund, (c) what is the target for BNG housing units for the 2026/27 financial year and (d) in which locations are the housing units going to be constructed;

(2) in which locations were the targeted 5 317 Breaking New Ground (BNG) housing units constructed that were funded through the HSDG in the 2025/26 financial year;

(3) whether priority will be given to land that has already been released for development; if not, (a) what are the reasons for not prioritising such land and (b) what factors inform the selection of sites for the construction of BNG housing units;

(4) with reference to housing construction projects not funded through the HSDG, (a) what is the targeted number of housing units to be delivered over the MTEF period and (b) in which locations are these housing units planned to be developed;

(5) whether priority will be given to land that has already been released for development; if not, what are the reasons for not prioritising such land?

 8 2 April 2026 20633

Given the recent completion of the innovative Elandskloof Community Centre near Citrusdal, which utilised biomass from invasive alien plants for carbon-negative construction in the Groot Winterhoek Strategic Water Source Area:

  1. (a) What role did his Department play in the Elandskloof Pilot Project and (b) how does this Alien-Biomass-to-Housing Model align with the Province’s current Climate Change Response Strategy;
  2. in relation to environmental restoration and water security, (a) what is the estimated volume of water released back into the system following the clearing of 8,5 hectare of invasive black wattle on the Elandskloof farm and (b) what is his Department’s assessment of the reduced wildfire risk to the surrounding biodiversity hotspots as a result of this biomass removal;
  3. (a) how is his Department working with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and sustainable building partners to ensure that these low-carbon, fire-resistant bricks meet building standards for permanent residential structures and (b) what steps are being taken to facilitate the inclusion of this construction method in future projects;
  4. whether his Department has identified other Strategic Water Source Areas in the province where similar alien-biomass-to-housing initiatives could be implemented; if so, what are the relevant details?
7 2 April 2026 20632

Given the severe geopolitical volatility in the Middle East and the subsequent impact on the global supply of petroleum products and nitrogenous fertilisers that are critical to the Western Cape agricultural sector:

  1. (a) What protocols has his Department implemented in coordination with the Provin-cial Disaster Management Centre to monitor the supply and distribution of fuel and fertiliser to prevent unethical rationing or hoarding by wholesalers and (b) how many formal complaints of such practices have been received by his Depart-ment since 1 March 2026;
  2. (a) what enforcement measures are available to his Department to intervene where suppliers are found to be withholding essential agricultural input and (b) what engagement has been undertaken with the Fuel Industry Association (FIASA) to ensure prioritised access for (i) primary and (ii) small-scale producers;
  3. (a) how is his Department utilising its market intelligence tools to identify alternative international sources for fertiliser to local farming associations and (b) what are the current projections for the input-cost-to-yield ratio for the 2026 winter grain crop in the light of the spike in nitrogen prices;
  4. (a) what specific early-warning briefings have been provided to the Western Cape’s organised agriculture bodies regarding the April 2026 fuel price outlook and (b) what technical support is being offered to small-scale farmers to mitigate the impact of these rising costs on their operational margins?
 6 2 April 2026 20631

With regard to Road Safety Ambassadors:

  1. (a) How many Road Safety Ambassadors have been appointed in the province to date, (b) where are these Road Safety Ambassadors deployed, (c) what is the total budget allocated to the Road Safety Ambassador Programme for the (i) 2025/26 and (ii) 2026/27 financial year, (d) how much has been spent on the programme from its inception to date and (e) what type of training is provided to Road Safety Ambassadors;
  2. whether these Road Safety Ambassadors receive any stipends or other forms of remuneration; if so, what is the amount per ambassador?
 5 2 April 2026 20630

 

  1. How many schools in the province per municipality currently benefit from the school sport programmes that are supported by his Department, (b) what number of no-fee schools are included in these programmes per municipality and (c) what is the total number of learners participating in these programmes?
 3 2 April 2026 20629

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