Election of Chairperson: Ad Hoc Committee on Green Paper on National Strategic Planning

Meeting report

In accordance with the rules of Parliament, the Committee Secretary presided over the nomination and election of a Chairperson for the Committee. Without any opposition, Mr T Mufamadi (ANC) was duly elected Chairperson of the Committee.

The Chairperson appreciated the fact that Members had confidence in his leadership abilities, especially given the nature of the work that would be undertaken by the Committee. He noted that there had been debates and questions raised in the House about the relationship between Parliament and the two Ministers in the Office of the President. The Green Paper would give them an opportunity as Parliament to shape their discussions and their input and therefore to determine what kind of outcome and what kind of product they wanted to see as parliamentarians in terms of that very important Planning Unit. The Committee had been informed that they were expected to report back to the National Assembly no later than 22 October 2009. This meant that given their workload they would have to find time even if it meant working beyond normal working hours for them to be in a position to make some sort of an intelligent input that would ensure that Parliament took the correct position. He proposed that he would draft a programme and that the Committee would consider it thereafter. He asked those members who sat in various other Committees that as long as they did not chair those Committees to prioritise their work with the ad hoc Committee.

Discussion
Mr N Singh (IFP) congratulated the Chairperson. He suggested that the Committee should invite the drafters of the green paper to brief the Committee so that Members could appreciate the thinking which informed its content.

Mr S Swart (ACDP) asked if the Committee would have time to hear the input of civil society as well or whether this would be purely parliamentary input. If time permitted and if it was also part of the Committee’s mandate then it would also be useful to consider receiving input from civil society.

The Chairperson responded that he needed to consult on this matter and was mindful of the time constraints. He recalled that when the Presidency had presented this document there were other bodies that sought to solicit public views on this matter. The Committee would therefore have to see how it could dove tail the two given the time constraints that it had.

Speaking on behalf of the ANC, Ms L Mashamaite (ANC) congratulated the Chairperson on his appointment. She was pleased that she was selected to serve on such an important Committee considering the central role of planning in any country, organisation or structure.

Ms D Nhlengetwa (ANC) also congratulated the Chairperson on his appointment to leadership of the ad hoc Committee. She supported the Chairperson’s proposal that he should draft a programme and that the Committee should discuss it thereafter.

The Chairperson agreed with the proposals made by Ms Nhlengetwa and Mr Singh.