National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill: finalisation; with Deputy Minister

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed the Deputy Minister, Ms Sisisi Tolashe. The Committee would review and approve the 27 September additions to the Committee's proposed amendments. It will review the B version of the Bill as was previously agreed to in the Committee. She was pleased that all Members agreed to the clauses and there were no dissenting views.

Ms Kashifa Abrahams, Committee Content Advisor, screened the A-list and the B-Bill and noted the two key changes or amendments that needed to be addressed to ensure that there was coherence between the A-list and B-Bill. In clauses six and seven. Members had agreed to all the other provisions.

Clause 6 – Board of Council
The changes were to the number of board members increased from 'not more than 13' to 'not more than 15' as well as the number of listed departments comprising the board.

The rest of the corrections were not substantive but spelling and grammatical corrections.

Clause 7 – Disqualification from the board
Clause 7(f) was amended from "misconduct involving’’ to ‘‘any form of misconduct, including sexual harassment, corruption".

Ms N Sharif (DA) welcomed the amendment.

The Committee approved the two substantive amendments and the spelling and grammatical corrections.

Committee Report on Bill: adoption
Ms Abrahams read out the report to Members and indicated that it contained reflections on what was discussed and agreed to on the Bill, the process, and procedures.

The Committee adopted the report as a true reflection of what had transpired. Both the A-list and B-bill were also adopted.

Read: ATC230929: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities on the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill [B31-2022], dated 29 September 2023

The Committee considered and adopted the minutes of 27 September 2023.

The meeting was adjourned.