In this Treasury Regulation, unless the context indicates otherwise, a word or expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act, has the same meaning, and--

"Act"

means the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No 1 of 1999);

"benefit deduction"

means a deduction on Persal against an employee’s salary for the purpose of facilitating the payment of a debt arising from an employee’s benefits in terms of his or her conditions of employment or appointment, including payments in respect of a home owner’s allowance and the motor finance scheme for senior government employees;

"collective agreement deduction"

means a deduction on Persal against an employee’s salary arising from a collective agreement entered into by and between the State in its capacity as employer and a union registered with the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council in accordance with applicable law;

"debt"

means amounts of money owed and already payable by an employee to any person;

"Director-General"

means the Director-General: National Treasury;

"discretionary deduction"

means a deduction on Persal against an employee’s salary, other than a benefit deduction, a collective agreement deduction, a State deduction and a statutory deduction;

"employee"

means a person employed by or appointed to a department or an executive authority, and includes a magistrate contemplated in section 1 of the Magistrate’s Act, 1993 (Act No 90 of 1993) and employees of constitutional institutions;

"Persal"

means the personnel salary system of government in the national and provincial sphere and includes reference to Persol;

"person"

depending on the context, includes reference to the State or any other juristic body;

"responsible official"

means an accounting officer contemplated in section 36 of the Act or such other persons to whom that accounting officer has delegated a function to be performed in terms of this Treasury Regulation;

"State deduction"

means a deduction on Persal against an employee’s salary for the purpose of paying a debt owed to a department or constitutional institution and which is subject to section 34 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (Act No 75 of 1997);

"statutory deduction"

means a deduction on Persal against an employee’s salary which is required or permitted in terms of a law, court order or arbitration award.