Cancellation of Oversight visits to the Northern Cape and Limpopo; Committee Programme

Meeting report

Cancellation of oversight visits to the Northern Cape and Limpopo
The Chairperson indicated that the Committee would have to postpone their planned oversight visit to the Northern Cape as he was required to attend a workshop with the Auditor-General in that week. In addition, the Committee would have to cancel its trip to Limpopo because it first needed to receive feedback from the task team that would be dispatched to that province. New dates for these visits would be communicated to Members as soon as possible.

Ms E van Lingen (DA; Eastern Cape) found it disturbing that the planned visits had been cancelled. The time that Members spent attending meetings could have been allocated to their constituency where they were really needed. Members had a role to play and they were not fulfilling this at the moment.

Focus on Mining Industry
The Chairperson advised Members to read the Government Gazette of 29 April 2009, which dealt with the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA). It included issues around compliance targets, ownership, social responsibility and code of good practice for mining companies .The Committee had a responsibility to make sure that the promulgated laws were adhered to and that communities were not exploited. As a result, an oversight visit to the affected mining provinces would be arranged. The provinces included: Northern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, and KwaZulu-Natal. Dates for these visits would be communicated to Members in due course.

Dr Conroy, Researcher, ANC Caucus, advised the Committee to engage with mining experts to determine whether mining houses were complying with the MPRDA. He added that the Committee should consult with water experts when investigating how mines consumed water at the expense of communities.

The Chairperson agreed with this recommendation.

Committee Programme for Third Term
The Chairperson tabled a draft programme for the remainder of the year and asked Members to make any input.

Members proposed various changes and adopted the programme with amendments.

Consideration and Adoption of Committee Minutes
The Committee adopted the minutes dated 11 and 18 August 2009 without amendments.

The meeting was adjourned.