Limpopo oversight report

Meeting report

Chairperson’s opening remarks

The Chairperson welcomed everyone and asked the secretary for any apologies. Two members had sent in their apologies, Mr J Malema (EFF) and Mr J Esterhuizen (IFP).

The Chairperson asked the Members if there were any burning issues that they wanted to address before the Committee moved on to the adoption of the minutes dated 2 March 2016.

Mr Z Mandela (ANC) proposed that the Committee move on to the adoption of the minutes as planned on the agenda, and his proposal was seconded by Mr I Pikinini (ANC).

Draft minutes dated 2 March 2016

Members of the Committee went through the draft minutes dated 2 March 2016 page by page. They were adopted with no amendments as moved by Mr Mandela seconded by Mr Pikinini.

The Chairperson said that there was one issue that had been raised after the presentation by the Department on the stakeholders’ declaration.  The Department felt that Members should come up with ideas on how to take that process forward, and should decide on what they believed was the best approach. He asked whether the Members had come up with any ideas.

Mr H Schmidt (DA) raised a question on the economic consequences of the Department’s decisions and actions. He said that the Department dealt with a lot of issues but was not able to trace the economic consequences of its decisions on the market. He gave the example of how the effects of firing Mr Nene as finance minister could be seen on the markets. 

In response to Mr Schmidt’s question, the Chairperson proposed that the Committee should schedule a workshop where stakeholders would be allowed to make presentations, even from the Department’s point of view, but being fully aware that there was an existing agreement. Most importantly, the workshop was to give these ideas a platform to be discussed. The Members would share their views and make recommendations and thereafter look at the issues that would have emerged after the workshop. However, it had to be understood that the process would need more time and space.

This suggestion was seconded by Mr M Matlala (ANC), who added that such a workshop would shed light on how the mines worked.

The Chairperson emphasised that the Committee had a few important issues coming up and needed to stick together, including the matter of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment (MPRDA) that had to be referred to the House of Traditional Leaders and the budget process, which was the most important.

The Chairperson also mentioned that there had been developments in the case of ex-mine workers at AngloGold Ashanti and Anglo American South Africa. The Department would send a request to meet the lawyers of the ex-mine workers as a way of trying to understand the settlement reached, where it came from and its implications.

The Chairperson thenthanked the Members and indicated that the meeting was officially adjourned. The Committee had 20 minutes before the joint portfolio committees meeting, with Mineral Resources, Land Reform and Rural Development, and Women in the Presidency for the adoption of the oversight report to Limpopo on 14 to18 September 2015.

Joint Portfolio Committee meeting

Ms P Ngwenya-Mabila (ANC) acted as Chairperson for the joint portfolio committee meeting to consider the adoption of the oversight visit report to Limpopo.

After welcoming everyone and declaring the meeting officially opened, she said that there was only item on the agenda which was the consideration and adoption of the oversight visit report to Limpopo. The Chairperson then asked the secretaries of the three committees for any apologies.

She asked the Members to look at the report while reminding them that the most important parts were the observations, which included the findings and recommendations. Furthermore, Members had a choice of going through the report page by page, or just going straight to the important sections, making corrections and additions which they felt were not recorded.

Mr Mandela proposed that the Committee go through the report page by page and then make corrections for any errors, and this suggestion was seconded by Mr M Filtane (UDM).

The committees went through the report page by page.

The Chairperson emphasised that the focus was not on grammatical errors -- the staff was responsible for correcting those -- but rather on the content of the report, especially the recommendations section. 

The oversight report was adopted, with amendments to minor grammatical errors, as a true reflection of the oversight visit to Limpopo. Its adoption was proposed by Mr Mandela and seconded by Mr Matlala.

The Chairperson thanked the staff for the work well done on the report.

The meeting was adjourned.