Third Term Committee Programme: discussion

Meeting report

Opening Remarks
The Chairperson announced that, as part of the Government and Ministerial Cluster, Members were invited to attend a briefing by Heads of Departments on issues of procurement. The briefing would take place at 9.30am.

The strategic planning workshop held the previous week was a good session and produced a plan for the Committee to adopt at the next session.

The Committee would use the first and second week after the recess break to visit provincial legislatures that it had not been to as yet. These included the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, North West, and the Free State Provincial Legislatures. The Western Cape Provincial Legislature would be visited during the third term. The visits would allow the Committee to get an idea of how the sister legislatures were doing.

Two days in September were identified for the National Petitions Indaba for discussions on what South Africa required as a form of intervention and reestablishing confidence of its citizens.

Committee Minutes dated 30 May 2012
The Chairperson tabled the minutes for consideration.

The Committee adopted the minutes with minor amendments.

Third Term Committee Programme
The Committee considered the draft programme, which had been amended the previous day.

Finalisation of the Lovemore proposal to amend the Electoral Act, 1998 (No 73 of 1998) to allow South African citizens living abroad to register and vote in national and provincial elections and to provide them with reasonable access to voting during national and provincial elections, was scheduled for 29 August 2012. Finalisation had been deferred awaiting input from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

The National Petitions Indaba on 4 and 5 September was a milestone for the Committee as Members would be building blocks to the changing work of Parliament.

The amended programme would be adopted at the next meeting of the Committee.

International Study Tour
In conclusion, the Chairperson indicated that five Members of the Committee would be leaving for a study tour to Canada at the weekend. Ms Kilian was unable to join the delegation because of other commitments. He wished the delegates well, it was expected they would bring back important information that would assist in terms of changing the face of the Committee.

Ms Kilian responded that she would love to have joined the delegates on the study tour but as she was working with the Chief Whip and under pressure it would be doing her party a disfavour.

The meeting was adjourned.