Extension of Security of Tenure Amendment Bill [B24B-2015]: briefing postponed

Meeting report

Opening remarks by Chairperson
The Chairperson welcomed all present and asked everyone including members of the public to introduce themselves. He said the Committee had a crucial role to ensure that the laws it debated and passed were in the interest of “our” people.
 
He advised that the State Law Advisor who was briefing the Committee on other matters (Plant Bills) was on his way and would join the meeting in due course. He also advised that the Minister and both Deputy Ministers had sent in apologies for their non attendance.

Ms Z Ncitha (Eastern Cape, ANC) said she very concerned about the non attendance of the Minister, Deputy Ministers and the DG. Their non attendance undermined the Committee and she felt that the Department of Rural Development and Land (DRDLR) was not taking the Committee seriously. She wanted to know if the department was informed timeously about the meeting.

Mr C Smit (Limpopo, DA) agreed with Ms Ncitha and was very dissatisfied about the lack of seniority in the DRDLR delegation. It was unacceptable that the senior political leaders were absent for this important meeting

Ms C Labuschagne (Western Cape, DA) was in agreement with the two previous speakers. She indicate that for practical reasons, it was perhaps better to postpone the meeting as the critical people that the Committee wanted to engage were absent.

Mr A Nyambi (Mpumalanga, ANC) agreed with previous comments, and added that the Committee was not postponing the meeting - the meeting was not able to proceed due to the unavailability of people who were not ready to engage the Committee. The Committee was ready and eager to proceed but could not as key departmental people were not present.

The Chairperson advised that the meeting was postponed as the senior political leaders were not present. The political head of the department had to meet with the Committee on this issue. The meeting would resume on another day, once the senior politicians were present. This would be communicated to all in due course.


Mr Asgar Bawa, the Committee Secretary, said that the notice for this meeting was sent to the department in the previous week.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 10h20.