Second Term Portfolio Committee on Tourism Programme

Tourism

25 March 2013
Chairperson: Mr D Gumede (ANC)
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Meeting Summary

The Chairperson placed the Committee’s 2013 Second Term Draft Programme before the Committee for consideration. The programme included planned meetings with many different entities, oversight visits and the Committee’s Strategic Planning Workshop.  It was agreed the Strategic Planning Workshop would have to be rescheduled and the 2013 Second Term Draft Programme was adopted as amended

Outstanding minutes dated the 30 October 2012, 6 November 2012, 13 November, 12 and 19 February 2013 were adopted. The Chairperson tabled the budget, strategic plans and annual performance plans for 2013-2017 financial years for the National Department of Tourism and South African Tourism for consideration by the Committee. 

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed Members and asked the Committee Secretary to read out the draft second term committee programme to the Committee.


Second Term Committee Programme (15 April 2013 – 21 June 2013)
Mr Jerry Boltina, Committee Secretary, pointed out that there were issues which had not been included in the Draft Programme due to uncertainties regarding the timeframes attached to the start and completion of the Tourism Bill 2012. He listed the organisations or departments which the Committee felt meetings should be scheduled with and hence should be placed on the Committee Programme. Some already appeared on the 2013 Second Term Draft Programme whilst others were still to be added. Meetings with the following organisations or departments were proposed:
- The Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission (PICC) on the funding of catalytic tourism infrastructure projects and the location of such projects in the provinces.
- The Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training on curriculum design and the needs of tourism.
- The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform on the Government’s Comprehensive Rural Development Programme.
- The Land Claims Commission on unresolved land claims that impacted on tourism projects, particularly in protected areas.
- The National Convention Bureau (NCB) on update and progress on business meetings already secured.  Also to explore a possibility of extending the mandate of the Bureau to include working with the Department of Sports and Recreation to bid for mega sporting events such as the Olympics.
- The Department of Tourism (NDT) on the transfer of funds from the Department of Trade and Industry and how such funds would be utilised by the NDT.
- The Department of Economic Development on the roll out of youth employment incentives and how tourism would benefit from the initiative.
- National Treasury to brief the Committee on the Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) toolkit.
- The National Department of Tourism and South African Tourism on the long term strategy of the Tourism Indaba.
- The National Department of Tourism on its Budget, Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan.
- South African Tourism on its Budget, Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan.
- The South African Local Government Association with a view of discussing planning towards 2030.
- The Industrial Development Corporation regarding funding of tourism projects.

The following workshops/summits were also planned:
- A workshop with the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) on the issue of assessors was planned. How assessors were appointed? What training they received? And what criteria were used to determine the star grading for establishments.
- A workshop was needed on education, training and skills development in the tourism sector to deal with gaps in training programmes that did not respond to industry needs.
- A workshop with financial institutions on the funding to Small, Micro, Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) on micro services offered by banks and government institutions.
- Portfolio Committee 2nd Tourism Summit and the 2013 Tourism Indaba.

The Committee also intended to have planning sessions. The first was the Portfolio Committee Strategic Planning Review; the last one was done in July 2010. The second was to have a Committee Mid-Term Review to align the Committee Programme with government’s mid term review so as to focus on the most critical issues for the remainder of the term.  

Local oversight visits were also planned for SMMEs in Mitchells Plain and to visit the West Coast where there was a project at Velddrif. Provincial oversight visits to the Free State, Kwazulu-Natal and Western Cape were also planned. 
 
The Chairperson gave members an opportunity to add issues to the list provided by Mr Boltina. He suggested that the Committee could compare notes with the monitoring and evaluation function that was being done by the Office of the Presidency. A further suggestion was that the South African Micro-finance Apex Fund (SAMAF) which was a new funding organisation that had formed due to the amalgamation of government funding institutions should meet with the Committee. The funding to small businesses should be on better terms than what banks offered. The funding should have clear incentives.

Mr S Farrow (DA) suggested that instead of meeting with the Land Claims Commission in Parliament, the Committee should meet with it at locations where there were land claims issues.  He also suggested that the Committee go onsite to see how the Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) toolkit was working. He was aware that the Committee perhaps had a limited budget and proposed that local visits in and around Cape Town could be done. The Committee could decide on the practicality of his suggestions.

Ms V Bam-Mugwanya (ANC) said that Mr Farrow’s suggestions were noted but that the Committee had budgetary constraints. She said that communities were complaining that the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) was not financing what it was supposed to. She asked whether the Committee could meet with them. There was a need to enquire as to how the NYDA was funding tourism related projects.

The Chairperson felt that the Committee could accommodate the proposals made by Members. He proposed that when the Committee undertook provincial oversight visits for example to Kwazulu-Natal and the Free State, land claims problem areas could be visited. He noted that where persons were successful with land claims, especially farm land, they received no training or advice. Land claims problem areas in the Western Cape could also be visited. 
He suggested that the NYDA could together with SAMAF meet with the Committee. They could provide the Committee with brief presentations on what types of funding was provided and to whom. Also what the criteria to qualify for funding were. The questions which members needed to be answered could be sent to the organisations before they appeared before the Committee. He said that the Banking Council of South Africa should also be invited alongside NYDA and SAMAF.

Mr Boltina agreed to incorporate the suggestions made by Members into the Committee Programme.
He pointed out that the House Chairperson had suggested that that Second Term Committee Programmes should focus on budgets, strategic plans and annual performance plans.
He proceeded to take the Committee through the actual Draft Programme: 2nd Term 15 April 2013 – 21 June 2013. He set out the date of the meeting, who the meeting was with and what was on the agenda to be dealt with.
He did point out that he had tentatively scheduled the Committee’s Strategic Planning Workshop for either the 17 and 18 June 2013 or the 18 and 19 June 2013. It was by no means confirmed as Parliament did not wish to have meetings beyond the 14 May 2013 as Members had to be engaged in budget votes.

Mr Farrow stated that he had no problem with the Second Term Draft Programme besides the dates set aside for the Committee’s Strategic Planning Workshop. Besides having other commitments he pointed out that 17 June 2013 was a public holiday and that on the 19 June 2013 there was a plenary session. He suggested that the Committee’s Strategic Planning Workshop be rescheduled to the 22 July 2013 before Parliament’s session recommenced.

The Chairperson said that the inputs made by Members were important and was noted.

Ms Bam-Mugwanya was impressed by the way the Committee Section had compiled the 2013 Second Term Draft Programme.

The Chairperson reminded the Committee about the 2013 Tourism Summit. It would mainly be business persons and other stakeholders at the summit.

Mr Farrow proposed that the 2013 Second Term Draft Programme be adopted by the Committee.

The Chairperson agreed that the management committee of the Committee would have to reschedule the Committee’s Strategic Planning Workshop. Alternative dates other than 17-19 June 2013 would have to be considered.

The 2013 Second Term Draft Programme was adopted as amended.

Committee Minutes

The Chairperson tabled the outstanding minutes for consideration. These were dated 30 October 2012, 6 November 2012, 13 November 2012, 12 February 2013, 15 February 2013 and 19 February 2013.

 

The Committee went through each set of minutes individually with Members providing their input.


Grammatical changes were made to minutes dated the 30 October 2012 and it was adopted as amended.
Spelling changes were effected to minutes dated the 6 November 2012 and it was adopted as amended.
Grammatical and spelling changes were made to minut30 October 2012, 6 November 2012es dated the 13 November 2012 and it was adopted as amended.
Minutes dated the 12 February 2013 was adopted unamended.
The Chairperson pointed out that on 15 February 2013, the Committee had had a joint meeting with the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation and would adopt the minutes of said meeting jointly with the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation.
Grammatical and spelling changes were effected to minutes dated the 19 February 2013 and it was adopted as amended. 

Tabling of budget, strategic plans and annual performance plans for 2013-2017 financial years for the National Department of Tourism and South African Tourism
The Chairperson tabled the budget, strategic plans and annual performance plans for 2013-2017 financial years for the National Department of Tourism and South African Tourism for consideration by the Committee.

The meeting was adjourned.
 

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