Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill [B15B-2013]: Final mandates and adoption

Meeting report

Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill: Final mandates and adoption
The written final mandates on the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill (the Bill) were presented as follows:

Free State
The Free State Legislature mandated its representative to vote in favour of the Bill.

Gauteng
The final mandate reflected that the province supported the detail and principle of the Bill.

Limpopo
The final mandate noted that whilst it was in support of the Bill, it wished to express “very much” concern about the fast-tracking of the Bill, which it submitted had not permitted the Bill to be subjected to a comprehensive public participation process. The Committee had been briefed on the Bill on the previous Monday, the same date on which it held its public hearings. It indicated that it was prepared to confer a mandate on its representative to vote in favour of the Bill, with a recommendation that the Bill should be deferred to the Fifth Parliament.

Mpumalanga
The final mandate reflected that the province mandated its representative to vote in favour of the Bill.

North West
The North West’s final provincial mandate reflected a vote in favour of the Bill.

Northern Cape
The Northern Cape legislature voted in favour of the Bill. Its final mandate reflected that it was briefed on 18 March on the Bill and had held a public hearing on 19 March, during which there was engagement with stakeholders. A meeting of the relevant committee held on the following day had resolved to adopt the Bill.

In summary, five provinces voted without reservation in favour of the Bill, whilst Limpopo appeared to vote in favour of the Bill but recommend that it should be deferred to the Fifth Parliament.

It is unknown whether mandates were read out from the remaining provinces. The Western Cape representative had indicated, at a previous meeting held on 25 March, that his province had already determined and expressed at the stage of the negotiating mandate, that this province would be voting against the Bill. The negotiating mandate for the Eastern Cape had expressed support for the Bill “subject to (some) parameters”, and KwaZulu Natal had indicated, at negotiating mandate stage, that its province was not yet ready to give an answer.

The meeting was adjourned.