Women, Youth & Persons with Disability Portfolio Committee Programme

Meeting report

Nomination of Acting Chairperson
Ms Ramodibe was nominated to preside over the meeting in the absence of the current chairperson, Ms B Thompson (ANC), who had been hospitalized.

Adoption of Committee Minutes
The Committee considered and adopted its minutes from 17 June 2009 and 23 June 2009 without any amendments.

Consideration of Draft Committee Programme
The Chairperson went through the Draft Programme and invited Members to comment on it.
A member suggested that the programme should also provide room (for the Committee) to visit target groups as well as organizations and institutions. This would balance the Committee’s oversight role as 50% of the time would be spent on receiving reports and the other 50% of the time would be spent on actually going out to see what was happening on the ground. Some of those oversight visits should be planned and others unplanned.  

Ms H Malgas (ANC) noted that the programme covered a lot of areas. However, she expressed concern that it did not include the Committee’s activities for 2010 and 2011 as well. She argued that the Strategic Planning Workshop would be beneficial as issues relating to the Committee’s term of reference would be discussed. It was therefore essential that the workshop be facilitated by qualified officials.  Lastly, she stated that when it came to visiting target groups, the Committee had to constantly ask itself whether the Committee’s engagement empowered the group.  The same question must be applied to departments that appeared before the Committee.

Mr D Kekana (ANC) added that sometimes when Members went to the strategic planning meetings, they expected the officials to determine what the outcome of the exercise should be. Members needed to assume greater responsibility and break that cycle of dependency.

Ms P Duncan (DA) suggested that the Committee consider the programme at the workshop instead of adopting it at the meeting.

Members agreed that the programme would be adopted when they returned from the recess.
The meeting was adjourned.