Crisis in Somalia; Committee Oversight Visit: informal discussion

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International Relations

02 August 2011
Chairperson: Mr T Magama (ANC)
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Meeting Summary

Ms W Newhoudt-Drunchen was congratulated on her appointment as Vice President of the World Federation of the Deaf.

The Chairperson highlighted the plight of the Somali people who were currently in the grips of drought and famine. He felt that the Committee should do all it could to assist the people of Somalia. The Department on International Relations and Co-operation would be called upon to furnish the Committee with a report over the Somalia situation. The report would provide Members with guidance on how assistance could be given.

The Chairperson briefed the Committee on the planned oversight visits to the United States of America and Cuba. The programme for the trip had been approved pending the costing. However when the costing and the actual application for the trip was submitted to the House Chairperson it was not approved. Engagement with the House Chairperson had ensued to find out what the Committee needed to do to get the trip approved. Communications from the Speaker’s Office had also been forwarded to the House Chairperson. The issue was about making the distinction between a study tour and an oversight visit. The Committee was of the opinion that the planned trip to the US was an oversight visit and not a study tour as the House Chairperson believed. The view of the House Chairperson was that a study tour as he believed the trip to the US and Cuba to be was to be dealt with in the context of the parliamentary programme and rules of a study tour. The Committee was yet to receive a written response from the House Chairperson on the matter. The Chairperson had also asked the Chief Whip of the ANC to intercede on behalf of the Committee on the matter.
Members were also informed that Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim had asked Committee members to avail themselves on the 24 August 2011 to meet a member of the Palestinian Legislature, Honourable Mustafa Barghouti.

As the Committee was lacking a quorum, the Committee decided not to discuss and adopt either the Committee Programme or outstanding minutes.

Meeting report

The Chairperson congratulated Ms W Newhoudt-Drunchen (ANC) on her appointment as Vice President of the World Federation of the Deaf. Members also congratulated Ms Newhoudt-Drunchen.

Opening Remarks
The Chairperson raised the issue of the drought and famine that was currently hitting the country of Somalia. The situation was serious and needed to be discussed. The Department on International Relations and Co-operation would be called upon to furnish the Committee with a report on the matter and what South Africa was doing to assist in this regard. The situation in Somalia was not being helped by the fact that the country lacked a de-facto government and institutions which could assist with the crisis. The Committee’s heart went out to the people of Somalia and would do all it could to assist. He asked members to actively highlight the plight of the Somali people and to actively support the rest of the international community who were bringing relief to that country. The Chairperson believed the Somalia issue should remain on top of the Committee’s agenda. A report from the Department was crucial. Reports from other institutions would also be welcomed. Some of the questions that needed to be asked were what was the rest of the world’s response to the crisis? Was SA’s response adequate?

He wished to commend those South Africans that had responded to the plight of Somalians. It was a service rendered on humanitarian grounds.

The Chairperson stated that he was looking forward to the new parliamentary term. He hoped that the Committee would handle the term with the same vigour and gusto as it had handled the previous term.

The Chairperson updated the Committee on the planned oversight visits to the United States of America and Cuba.  The Committee felt the visit to be a priority. The visit to Washington DC was intended to be a bilateral mission and to New York City a multilateral mission. Cuba was to be visited because it was in close proximity. The programme had been submitted to the House Chairperson for approval. The programme had been approved pending the costing. However when the costing and the actual application for the trip was submitted to the House Chairperson it was not approved. Engagement with the House Chairperson had ensued to find out what the Committee needed to do to get the trip approved. Communication from the Speaker’s Office had also been forwarded to the House Chairperson. The memorandum from the Speaker’s Office spoke to two oversight visits. The view of the House Chairperson was that a study tour, which he saw the oversight trip to the US to be, was to be dealt with in the context of the parliamentary programme and rules of a study tour. The issue was about making the distinction between a study tour and an oversight visit. The Committee was of the opinion that that the planned trip to the US was an oversight visit and not a study tour as the House Chairperson believed. The House Chairperson had asked the Chairperson to put the feelings of the Committee to paper and to submit it to the Office of the House Chairperson. He had done what was requested of the Committee the same day. The Committee was yet to receive a written response from the House Chairperson on the matter. He had also spoken to the Chief Whip of the ANC about the issue. The Chief Whip had agreed to look into the matter with the House Chairperson.  A meeting with the Chief Whip would be scheduled soon in order to ascertain what had progress had been made if any. This was the situation regarding the planned oversight visits to USA and Cuba.

Discussion
Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) shared the sentiments of the Chairperson on the Somalia issue. He suggested that the Committee make haste on the issue and that the Department could brief the Committee the following week. The work that was being done by the relief organisation, the Gift of the Givers was also commended. It was making South Africa proud. He informed the Committee that he had written a letter to the African Union Chairperson querying what assistance the African Union could give to Somalia. A response from the African Union Chairperson was still awaited. In addition, he commended the Chairperson on his efforts concerning the oversight visit issue. The Committee needed to obtain more support. The refusal of the House Chairperson to approve the oversight visit should be condemned. If the Committee could not go on oversight visits it would drastically affect its work. The issue of study tours versus oversight visits should be clarified. It was clear that a distinction should be made between the two as they were different. Unlike other parliamentary committees oversight by the Committee could not be done in the provinces. Oversight needed to be done beyond the borders of South Africa. The Committee should remain steadfast and push the matter forward. Oversight trips abroad were important to the Committee. The Committee could check on what diplomacy was doing globally. It was the Committee’s mandate to undertake oversight visits. The Committee fully supported the Chairperson over the issue.  Members had already made arrangements to accommodate the planned oversight visits to the USA and Cuba. Diaries had been reshuffled. He felt that the different political parties in their individual capacities within the Committee should also engage on the matter.

The Chairperson stated that he had received a communication from the Deputy Minister Ebrahim of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ebrahim Ebrahim, who wrote that a member of the Palestinian Legislature, Honourable Mustafa Barghouti, was to visit SA from the 22-26 August 2011. Mr Barghouti was considered an academic of note on Palestinian matters. Deputy Minister Ebrahim had requested that the Committee meet with Mr Barghouti during his visit. Mr Barghouti was scheduled to visit Parliament on the 24 August 2011. There was a high possibility that Mr Barghouti might pay a visit to the Committee on that day. 

Mr Mokgalapa stated that in and around February 2011 the Committee was supposed to have undertaken a visit to Palestine/ Israel to first hand observe the conflict that was taking place in the region. The trip was cancelled and that was the last the Committee had heard of it. The trip had been cancelled because of visa issues and strikes. Why was another trip to the region not organised? Visiting both countries would have given the Committee the chance to hear both sides of the story.

Mr E Sulliman (ANC) brought it to the Committee’s attention that the Committee’s Programme clashed with the visit of Mr Barghouti to Parliament on the 24 August 2011.

The Chairperson pointed out that the Committee’s Programme was only provisional and could be changed.

The Chairperson further explained that the primary reason why the Committee had not undertaken the trip to Palestine/Israel was because of the volatility of the region. The border at Haifa was also problematic at the time. At the time when the trip was supposed to have happened too many factors made it impossible. The question that the Committee should ask was whether the visit to Palestine/Israel was still relevant at this point in time. At the time when the trip had been scheduled the Minister of International Affairs and Co-operation had asked the Committee to make the visit. It was a question of relevance. The reason for the Minister making the request at the time was that members of the Palestinian Legislature had been imprisoned. Those persons had since been released. He stated that the points raised by Mr Mokgalapa were noted by the Committee. The Committee would check on whether the Committee’s Programme could accommodate a trip to Palestine/Israel.

The Committee lacked a quorum of members and hence would not be able to adopt the Committee Programme neither outstanding minutes. He stated that the Committee had the choice of adjourning the meeting or discussing the Committee Programme and minutes without adopting it.

Mr Mokgalapa asked by when the Committee had received apologies from Members that they would not be able to attend the present meeting. If members had informed the Committee Secretary well before the meeting then the meeting could have been postponed up until another time. 

The Chairperson responded that some apologies had been received the previous day whilst others had been received just prior to the meeting.

Ms R Magau (ANC) proposed that the meeting be adjourned and postpone discussing and adopting the Committee Programme and minutes until another time, she suggested that perhaps it could be added to the agenda of the meeting scheduled for the 10 August 2011.

Mr Mokgalapa seconded the proposal.

The Committee agreed.

The meeting was adjourned.

 


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