Questions and Replies

Since the establishment of the Department of Infrastructure, (a) how many officials in the Directorate Land and Asset Management have been promoted to higher-level positions, (b) what is the breakdown of each promotion by (i) name of the official, (ii) gender, (iii) race, (iv) previous salary level, (v) new salary level, (vi) qualifications held at time of promotion, (vii) rationale for the promotion, (viii) the (aa) name and (bb) designation of the person or panel who approved each promotion and (c) what policies, guidelines or codes of conduct are in place in his Department to prevent and address (i) workplace bullying and harassment, (ii) abuse of authority by senior officials and (iii) unethical relationships between managers and their subordinates?

1. Whether he is aware of a formal complaint or whistleblower communication sent to the Head of Department in February 2025, detailing serious allegations of bullying, harassment, abuse of power and an inappropriate romantic relationship between a senior manager and a subordinate in the Directorate Land and Asset Management; if so, (a) on what date did he become aware of this communication and/or its contents, (b) what specific actions has he taken since the date on which he became aware of the allegations to date to ensure that the (i) complaint was properly investigated, (ii) implicated official was subjected to disciplinary procedures and (iii) complain-ants or whistleblowers were protected from victimisation or retaliation;
2. whether his Department initiated a formal investigation into the allegations contained in the February 2025 whistleblower correspondence; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the details of the investigation, including (i) the date on which the investigation was launched, (ii) the person or unit appointed to investigate, (iii) the scope and terms of reference of the investigation, (iv) the current status or outcome of the investigation and (v) whether the implicated senior manager has been suspended pending the finalisation of the process;
3. whether his Department received any complaints from staff members in the Direct-orate Land and Asset Management regarding a toxic or unsafe working environment since January 2023; if so, (a) how many such complaints were lodged, (b) what was the nature of each complaint and (c) what actions were taken in response to each complaint?

(a)  Regarding the Elder Abuse Helpline, what is its (i) current capacity, (ii) staffing, (iii) operating hours, (iv) call volume and (v) average response times, (b) what follow-up mechanisms are in place to ensure that reported cases are resolved effectively and (c) what data is available about the (i) number and (ii) outcomes of reported cases over the past two years?

1. (a) How many aquaculture projects are currently operating in the province, (b) how many are (i) land-based and (ii) sea-based, (c) in which municipalities or coastal regions are these projects concentrated, (d) what is the total number of people employed through aquaculture operations in the province, (e) what is the role of his Department in the environmental approval process for aquaculture projects, (f) what are the key environmental compliance requirements that projects must meet, (g)(i) how long, on average, does it take for an aquaculture project to receive environmental approval and (ii) what are the most common delays or bottlenecks encountered during this process and (h) to what extent has the growth of legal abalone aquaculture contributed to reducing pressure on wild stocks;

2. whether his Department has observed any correlation between farmed abalone growth and reductions in poaching activity in high-risk coastal areas; if so, what are the relevant details?