Agrément South Africa Bill [B3-2015]

Call for comments opened 20 April 2015 Share this page:

Submissions are now closed (since 06 May 2015)

Public Works and Infrastructure

The Portfolio Committee on Public Works invites you to submit written comments on the Agrément South Africa Bill.

The Bill seeks to:
▪ provide for the establishment of Agrément South Africa as a juristic person;
▪ determine its objects, powers and duties; to prescribe the manner in which it is managed and governed;
▪ provide for transitional arrangements;

Public hearings will be conducted at Parliament on Tuesday, 02 June 2015.

Please note submissions and requests to make oral presentation must be received by no later than 12:00 on Wednesday, 06 May 2015.

Comments can be emailed to Ms Akhona Busakwe at [email protected] by no later than 12:00 on Wednesday, 06 May 2015.

Enquiries can be directed to Ms Akhona Busakwe, on tel (021) 403 3859 or cell: 083 709 8390

Issued by MP Martins Mr BAD, Chairperson: Portfolio Committee on Public Works.

Background
The Board of Agrément South Africa was established through a delegated authority by the Minister of Public Works in 1969. The delegation to the Board of Agrément South Africa was subsequently revised and updated in 1999 by the then Minister of Public Works, the Hon. JT Radebe, MP. The Board of Agrément South Africa is mandated to, among others, evaluate the fitness-for-purpose of non-standardised construction related products or systems for use in the construction industry, and for which a national standard does not exist. The Board of Agrément South Africa serves a national interest by being internationally acknowledged as an independent South African centre serving the building and engineering communities by providing assurance to specifiers and users through technical approvals of the fitness-for-purpose of such non-standardised construction related products or systems. A review of the performance of the Board of Agrément South Africa has revealed that its lack of legal status, as well as it reporting to two Ministries (that of Public Works and of Science and Technology), has negatively impacted on the effective discharge of its mandate. The Board of Agrément South Africa’s lack of legal status has, in addition, created ongoing audit challenges regarding the classification of the financial transfers made to it, through the Department of Public Works. Due to the Board’s current lack of legal status, transfers made by the Department of Public Works to Agrément South Africa, under transfers and subsidies, are being classified by the Auditor-General as irregular.