Election of Chairperson

Meeting report

Discussion
The Secretary of the Committee welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked for nominations.

Mr C Maxhegwana (ANC) nominated Ms M  Semenya as the Chairperson for the Committee.

Mr M Mandela (ANC) seconded the nomination of Ms Semenya as the Chairperson.

Ms Semenya was announced as the duly elected Chairperson for the Committee and was invited to take her seat.

The Chairperson thanked the members for her election.  She implored them to be critical and supportive in order to have a productive tenure.

Ms A Steyn (DA) congratulated the Chairperson on her election. She added that it was important that they all worked together as political parties as the Committee was meant to look after food supply for the people. She implored that they do not work with preconceived political ideas but rather on issues that would benefit all communities. She added that they all came from different backgrounds with different ideas hence the need to work together and learn from each other.

The Chairperson thanked Ms Steyn and gave assurance that they would all work together as a team as long as they followed the rules of Parliament. She added that the Legacy Report and other documents from the previous Committee would be passed on to Members in order to define the way forward.

Mr Mandela welcomed the input of Ms Steyn. He said it was the task of the Committee to ensure that agriculture was revolutionalised in all communities of South Africa as it only favored the minority. The Committee should ensure that agriculture was beneficial in all sectors of the country especially the rural areas like Eastern Cape. He looked forward to working with the members of the Committee.

Mr L Ntshayisa (AIC) congratulated the Chairperson on her election and greeted the other members. He said he looked forward to working together with them.

Mr S Mncwabe (NFP) emphasized that his party, NFP,  viewed the Committee on Agriculture as critical because it touched the poor. He added that the Committee should ensure that the youth were enlightened that agriculture was not meant for the elderly only, but for the youth as well.

The Chairperson commented that agriculture was an important area in the country as the Department on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) had launched Fetsa Tlala. She added that members would need the Legacy Report and documents of the previous committee and there would be a session to peruse how the previous committee had worked and the way forward. She reminded members of the budget training on 25 June.

Mr B Joseph (EFF) asked when the Legacy Report and documents would be received by the members.

The Chairperson replied that the reports would be provided before the day ended by the secretary.

The meeting was adjourned.