Election of Chairperson

Meeting report

Opening remarks by Committee Secretary
Ms Akhona Busakwe, Committee Secretary welcomed everyone to the Committee meeting and explained that the rules of National Assembly stipulated that within 5 working days of the announcement of the Members serving in the Portfolio, the Committee had to elect a Chairperson. She added that only those Members serving full time on the Portfolio Committee would be allowed to take part in the election of the Chairperson.

Election of a Chairperson
Ms Busakwe requested Members to nominate names for the position of Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works.

Mr F Adams (ANC) nominated Mr B Martins (ANC) and Ms P Adams (ANC) seconded the nomination.

The Members accepted the nomination of Mr Martins as Chairperson of the Committee. The Committee Secretary congratulated Mr Martins and cordially requested him to assume the position of Chairperson.
 
Discussion Moving Forward
The Chairperson officially welcomed everyone to the Committee meeting and reminded all the Members that they were public representatives and had a joint responsibility to serve the South African citizens. He thanked all the Members that trusted him with the responsibility of being Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works. He said that the agenda for today was solely to elect a Chairperson and after this process the Members could expect the work of the Portfolio Committee to begin.

The Chairperson mentioned that the Committee staff, content advisors and all the relevant officials were available to advise Members accordingly. He asked all Members in the Portfolio Committee to introduce themselves.

After members had introduced themselves, the Chairperson said that it was critical that Members were dedicated to change the negative reputation of the Department of Public Works, and this was only possible through dedication and working together. He added that when he chaired the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, he had many discussions with the Minister of Home Affairs, Ms Nkosazana Zuma, the Deputy Minister, Mr Malusi Gigaba, and the Committee staff on the ways that Home Affairs could improve both its overall service and its negative reputation with the general public. He recalled that the Department of Home Affairs had managed to significantly improve the level of service delivery because of teamwork, strategic planning and dedication from Committee Members. Lastly, he asked Members to make the final remarks before the adjournment of the meeting.

Mr M Filtane (UDM) congratulated Mr Martins for assuming the position of Chairperson and also indicated that it was indeed important for Committee Members to work together as they had a joint responsibility to serve the general public. He also reiterated that it was the responsibility of all Committee Members to ensure that it promotes efficiency in the Department of Public Works as this will positively impact on service delivery.   

Mr K Mabu (DA) appreciated the opportunity to be part of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and appreciated the comments by the Chairperson on the need to work together regardless of political differences to improve the image of the Department of Public Works. He further said that Members needed to be mindful of the fact that they were public representatives; therefore, they needed to serve the interests of the people who voted for them into Parliament. Finally, he emphasised that Members had a responsibility to exercise oversight over the Department and help it become more efficient.

Mr K Sithole (IFP) apologised for arriving late and then congratulated Mr Martins for assuming the Chairperson role and repeated that although all the Members came from different political parties, it was important for them to be aware of their common purpose, which was to serve the interests of the public. He emphasised that the Committee Members needed to work together for the next five years to ensure that the Department of Public Works achieved its mandate of being a custodian and manager of all national governments’ fixed asserts. 
 
Ms P Adams (ANC) congratulated the Chairperson for being given a role to lead the Portfolio Committee on Public Works, and agreed that the Committee Members needed to work together to improve the image of the Department.  She added that the Members need to prioritise serving the interests of South Africans, especially those that were still marginalised. 

A Member asked the Chairperson to organise an interpreter for her as she was still struggling with English. She indicated that an interpreter would be helpful to her as she needed to produce a thorough report back to her relevant political party. Therefore, it was critical to fully comprehend the content discussed by the Committee Members. 

The Chairperson promised to organise an interpreter for the Members who were still struggling with English, and highlighted that the Constitution also embraced the use of all the official languages. 

The Chairperson thanked everyone present and reminded Members that they had a common purpose, which was to transform the lives of the ordinary people in South Africa.

The meeting was adjourned.