International Relations Portfolio Committee Evaluation of the Committee's Performance in 2009 and Consideration of the Committee's Annual Report
International Relations
16 February 2010
Chairperson: Mr TW Nxesi (ANC)
Meeting Summary
The Committee evaluated its performance in 2009 and discussed the outstanding issues for the remainder of the financial year and focus for 2010. Visits to Limpopo and
It was agreed that an oversight visit to
The Chairperson would motivate in the budget that travelling should not be included under ‘study tours’, of which two were permitted per five years, but rather as oversight visits, where they would interact with the Legislature of other countries. These visits would include monitoring, diplomacy and peace-keeping missions.
Workshops to equip the Committee on issues of national and public interest would be scheduled and it was suggested that training for honourable interaction with foreign diplomats should be offered to all Members of Parliament.
Timely briefing by the Department on key policy issues with regard to International Agreements was required so that a clear framework for negotiations could enable the Committee to perform on its mandate in accordance with the 1996 Constitution.
Meeting report
The Chairperson, Mr T Nxesi (ANC) welcomed the Members to their first meeting of 2010 with an especially warm welcome to Mr. B Skosana (IFP) who had been absent at the end of the previous calendar year due to illness. The year ahead was expected to be a short one due to preparation for the 2010 local Government elections, as well as the 2010 World Cup and Members would be required to work under pressure. The Committee had never had a full compliment, which was a matter of serious concern, and the Chairperson appealed to Members to prioritize the work of the Committee on International Relations.
The agenda included apologies; 2009 outstanding issues; Committee programme for the term ending in March 2010; the Committee programme for 2010, which was an addition to the five year programme; and the Committee report and challenges of 2009 which would need to be submitted by the end of March. Additional issues raised by Members would be included on the agenda.
There were no additions to the agenda. This was formally moved by Ms T Sunduza (ANC) and seconded by Mr K Mubu (DA).
Apologies were received by Dr N Koornhof (Cope) who had to attend the Budget Meeting and Mr B Holomisa (Alt) who would be absent from meetings between February 16-26 and in March 2010. Mr Mubu and Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) would need to leave at 11.45 am to attend another meeting.
The acceptance of apologies was moved by Ms R Magau (ANC) and seconded by Mr Skosana.
Outstanding activities from 2009
Activities which had been planned (Strategy Plan 2009-2013) but had not been implemented in 2009 had been postponed by higher offices and not by the Committee itself. The Committee was determined to follow up with the important visit to the University of the North and UNIVEN in
Mr Mubu asked if the visit to
The Chairperson said that the programme which was drafted to motivate for the visits would indeed be inclusive of those elements and that the Universities would be used as a base. The larger communities would be invited and debate would include issues which overlapped with Home Affairs concerns, such as xenophobia.
The Committee wished to pursue a strategic approach to concerns in
Ms Sundunza suggested that
Mr. Skosana supported Ms Sundunza’s views and believed strongly that it was Parliament’s Constitutional mandate to engage with Foreign Relations Committees of other countries. He argued that the Executive and President should be left to deal with reconstruction and development and that Members of Parliament, who were dealing with constituencies which were in conflict, were better mandated to implement and sustain peace on the ground. His concern was that in both the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and
Mr. Mubu agreed with his colleagues and said that comprehensive oversight reports by the Committee on the situations in the
The Chairperson summarized that the Committee would apply for a multi-party delegation (consisting of Members from the Portfolio Committee on Foreign Relations) to undertake a visit to Zimbabwe to assess the progress of the implementation of the GPA in Zimbabwe and to meet with some of the stakeholders, especially Parliamentary counterparts as well as some of the constituencies who could brief the delegation on the obstacles with regard to the GPA process.
Mr. T Magama (ANC) suggested that the impact of the R100 million spent from the ARF should also be assessed.
Mr. Mokgalapa supported the fact that an oversight visit was necessary to monitor spending of the ARF. The Auditor-General relied on the Committee to report on whether the money was indeed being spent where it was intended and whether it was yielding the desired results. The issue of
The Chairperson said that oversight for the Committee meant travelling to foreign countries and he would motivate that travelling should not be included under ‘study tours’, of which two were permitted per five years, but as oversight visits, as the nature of the work that the Committee was doing was ‘outward looking’. Programmes for 2010, starting in April, would include a new approach. These would include oversight visits to monitor the ARF, as well as diplomatic and peace-keeping missions in foreign countries.
Ms Sundunza said that there was a move by other African countries to move the Pan African Parliament away from
Mr Skosana said that the Chairperson’s motivation for oversight visits needed to be supported. Foreign Diplomats should be met with one voice from Government and there needed to be synergy on issues of public and national interest.
The Chairperson said that workshops would equip the Committee with focus on issues of national and public interest.
Mr Skosana believed that the media should be invited to these workshops as they interacted with the public in all languages and were important in communicating issues to the community.
The Chairperson said that Community Forums, as well as experts from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), should be given the opportunity to give perspective and inform the Committee on foreign policy.
Mr Mokgalama said that an academic debate on what was national interest was not solving problems on the ground and that the Committee should move away from academia and focus on the interest of the people.
Focus for 2010
The Chairperson said that the 2010 FIFA World Cup meant that foreign diplomats would be hosted in State Protocol Lounges at international airports. He felt that the Committee should undertake a tour to check on these facilities as they were also part of DIRCO.
Mr Skosana said that the Committee should insist on playing a positive role, particularly in meeting with the visiting Heads of States, where they could discuss foreign relations issues and have a positive long term relationship with these and other international dignitaries.
Ms Sunduza agreed with Mr Skosana and said that other foreign Governments took foreign relations more seriously than the South African Government. Any Parliamentary interaction with foreign dignitaries was a reflection on the Committee.
The Chairperson suggested that ideally all Members of Parliament should undergo training for honourable interaction with foreign diplomats. He also suggested that the Committee Members should take interest in the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry as there were many issues which overlapped between the two Committees. The meeting times on Wednesday clashed at present, but formal sessions would be arranged.
In terms of the International Agreements in accordance with 1996 Constitution, the focus for Committee in 2010 was to address the challenge the Committee had with involvement only at the end of the international negotiation processes. A clear framework for negotiations of agreements, briefings by the Department on key policy issues, consideration of these by the Committee and mechanisms to monitor and oversee compliance was required. This way, the Committee will be able to determine whether projects were indeed receiving allocations in terms of the Act and that those projects which received disbursements from the ARF were in compliance according to the Act.
In 2009, the Government announced the initiation of a process for the formation of SADPA (South African Development Partnership Agency) and it was debated whether it would replace the ARF or run parallel to it. The Committee expected the Department to brief the Committee on how legislation of the process would be initiated and the role that the Committee would play in the process.
Mr Skosana said that the Executive, as well as the Committee and the Speaker’s Office, would play a role in legislation. In terms of the International Agreements and formation of Agencies, he suggested that the Chair should meet with the Speaker and also the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Group on International Relations (PGIR) and clear issues which impacted on the sovereign authority, which were the people of the country. If legislation was left to the Executive alone, there would be a need to review legislation to accommodate the people.
The Chairperson said that the Committee candidates who may be required to go to
Ms Sunduza and Mr Mubu raised their concerns regarding the Committee’s involvement in
The Chairperson requested that the researchers do background work to establish what interventions had been done by
The Chairperson asked for an explanation on the significance of the African Union’s (AU) decision to support SA in its bid for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations.
Mr. Skosana suggested that after receiving the research material on
It was imperative that the Committee, as Members of the Legislature, should engaged with the Legislature of other countries which incurred problems. Conflict should not be left to the Executive, which exercised a different level of power. Members of Parliament needed to use the voice of the Legislature – the voice of the sovereign, in the name of the people. This level of power had long been neglected.
The Chairperson said that the refined activities for 2010/11 and the Draft Report on activities and challenges would be commented on in the next meeting. The issue of approved budgets having to be approved again had been a frustration for the Committee and had created challenges. This would be addressed with the House Chair and the Chairperson would report back to the Committee.
Ms Sunduza suggested that a statement on
The Chairperson said that on the Executive level, a Cabinet Committee led by the Minister of International Relations and Minister of Traditional Affairs was dealing with
Mr Skosana said that a statement was overdue and encouraged the Chair to make a statement in the House using information from the Department which was also overseeing aid to
The Chairperson said that he was aware that there had been an initiative of aid to
The meeting was adjourned.
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