Outstanding Committee Business

Water and Sanitation

19 June 2013
Chairperson: Mr J De Lange (ANC)
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Meeting Summary

The Committee briefly discussed the approval of committee minutes and agreed that it should be adopted as soon as possible. The Chairperson highlighted that all inputs should be captured and reflected in the reports. It became problematic if one left out information because one would then have to make a value judgment of what had to be taken out. The minutes dated 15 May were approved with no changes. All other

The Chairperson also informed Members that their application to undertaken an international study tour had not been approved.
 

Meeting report

Opening Remarks
The Chairperson welcomed Members of the Committee. He said that the purpose of that meeting was to consider and adopt the Committee Minutes, the Draft Report and Committee Programme. He suggested that all inputs should be captured and reflected in the reports. It became problematic if one left out information because one would then have to make a value judgment of what had to be taken out.

The Chairperson further noted that the Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance raised the issue of adopting late minutes which was clearly a major concern for him.

Ms C Zikalala (IFP) said that Portfolio Committees' meetings were treated differently from ordinary meetings. In respect of the latter, the agenda for each meeting included apologies, minutes and matters arising; however it was currently not easy for Portfolio Committees to do that.

The Chairperson said that from now on the Committee would not allow the minutes to pile up and adopt them much faster. The Committee Secretary must get information from people after the meeting so that the Committee had a proper record of matters. Some minutes would be very specific. Those proceedings where the Committee dealt with legislation had to be recorded very accurately because if someone ever disputed a bill there should be a clear record of that.

Committee Minutes dated 15 May 2013
The Chairperson said that in terms of the agenda of the minutes there was and opening and welcome, formal consideration and adoption of the National Environmental Laws Second Amendment Bill [B13-2013], formal consideration and adoption of the Report on the National Environmental Laws Second Amendment Bill [B13-2013]. Eight Members of the Portfolio Committee had attended the meeting.

The Chairperson read the minutes of proceedings as follows: "The Chairperson opened the meeting and welcomed all present. He announced the purpose of the meeting as per the agenda.

The formal consideration of the National Environmental Laws Second Amendment Bill [B13-2013] was as follows: The Portfolio Committee had already, on 27 March 2013, considered each clause of the bill separately and asked for any amendments to the bill, before politically processing of the bill through political parties. The Portfolio Committee on this occasion again proceeded to consider the bill clause by clause calling for any further amendments or comments and this was followed by voting on the bill. The Chairperson then called for the adoption of the bill, by calling for final comments or amendments of each clause separately and voting on a clause by clause basis took place, before the whole bill was voted on, as follows: Clause 1. No further comments or amendments to this clause were forthcoming from Members. All 10 Members present voted for this clause. There were no abstentions or voting against this clause. Clause 1 was passed unanimously, with the same as Clause 2 - Clause 29. The Long title and enactment clause was also passed unanimously. And the whole bill placed before the Portfolio Committee was unanimously passed. Each clause was voted on separately and accepted unanimously by the ten Members present during this meeting.

The Chairperson then submitted the whole bill, without any further amendments, for consideration and adoption to the Portfolio Committee, and the Portfolio Committee unanimously passed the bill with no further amendments.

In summary, the bill was passed unanimously by the Members of the Portfolio Committee being present, by unanimously supporting each clause separately and then unanimously supporting the whole bill.

The Chairperson then called for the adoption of the report by the Portfolio Committee reporting on all aspects of the processing of the bill. The Chairperson read through the report with the Portfolio Committee, accepting further amendments. The Chairperson then put the report with the amendments to the vote. Honourable Skosana moved for the adoption. Honourable Zikalala seconded. The Portfolio Committee unanimously adopted the report on the National Environmental Laws Second Amendment Bill [B13-2013], with a few amendments by the ten Members present.

The Chairperson felt that the bill was in all respects legally and constitutionally compliant, was innovative and ground breaking in some aspects, and achieved the right balance between protecting the environment and economic/social development within the context of an evolving developmental state. The Chairperson mentioned that many persons were enthusiastic about the bill, and trusted that the bill would boost the economic and social development for South Africa, within a sound environmentally friendly and sensitive legal framework. He envisaged that the Bill would be debated in the National Assembly, presumably during June 20134. The Chairperson thanked the officials of the Department of Environment Affairs (DEA), who had worked diligently and professionally, whilst processing the bill. The Chairperson then thanked all Members for their attendance of the meeting and closed the meeting at 11h00".


Ms B Ferguson (COPE) moved for the adoption of the minutes.

Ms Zikalala seconded the move.

The Committee adopted the minutes.

The Chairperson said that the minutes from the previous day’s meeting would be ready when the Committee came back from recess on 23 July 2013.

Other Matters
The Chairperson informed Members that he had received an sms from Mr Frolick, the House Chairperson stating that the all oversees trips were cancelled for all Committees. There were no reasons that were given but he suspected that it was because of the looming general elections in 2014.

The Chairperson thanked all Members of the Committee, staff and researchers for their dedication to the work of the Portfolio Committee.

Ms Zikalala said that it was unfair that their Committee had not undertaken an overseas tour for the last decade but other Committees had their trips approved. She nevertheless thanked the Chairperson for his efforts to try to get an overseas trip for the Committee.

Mr S Huang (ANC) also thanked the Chairperson for his dedication to have the Committee go for a study tour. He said it was unfair that they could not go to China because at the moment China was the forecast of the world in terms of its recent economic success.

The meeting was adjourned.
 

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