Agricultural Products Standards Bill; National Veld and Forest Amendment Bill: final mandates

Meeting report

The Chairperson noted that she was not well and if she is unable to continue chairing the meeting, she would ask another member to chair. She explained that the reason that there was no meeting last week was because the Committee was still waiting for the provinces to send their final mandates.

Mr Z Mkiva (ANC, Eastern Cape) asked that the study tour to Chile and Paraguay be added to the agenda.

Agricultural Products Standards Amendment Bill
The Committee Secretary read out the final mandates of the nine provinces:

Eastern Cape
The province voted in favour of the Bill as signed by the Speaker of the Eastern Cape legislature.

Free State
The Free State legislature convened on 3 November 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

Gauteng
The Gauteng legislature convened on 6 November 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

Kwa Zulu Natal
The KwaZulu Natal legislature convened on 3 November 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

Limpopo
The Limpopo legislature convened on 6 November 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

Mpumalanga
The Mpumalanga legislature convened on 3 November 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

Northern Cape  
The Northern Cape provincial legislature voted in favour of the Bill.

North West
The North West provincial legislature convened on 31 October 2023 and abstained from voting on the Bill.

Western Cape
The Western Cape legislature convened on 25 October 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

The Committee Secretary read out the Committee Report and asked that Members vote to adopt the Bill.

Ms L Bebee (ANC, KZN) proposed the adoption of the Bill and this was seconded by Ms W Ngwenya (ANC, Gauteng).

National Veld and Forest Fire Amendment Bill
The Committee Secretary read out the final mandates and highlighted that the Eastern Cape provincial legislature did not submit a final mandate to the Committee.

Free State
The Free State legislature convened on 3 November 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

Gauteng
The Gauteng legislature convened on 3 November 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

Kwa Zulu Natal
The Kwa Zulu Natal legislature convened on 3 November, and they voted against the Bill.

Limpopo
The Limpopo legislature convened on 7 November 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

Mpumalanga
The Mpumalanga legislature met and voted in favour of the Bill.

Northern Cape
The legislature convened on the 2 November 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

North West
The North West provincial legislature convened on 31 October 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

Western Cape
The Western Cape provincial legislature convened on 25 October 2023 and voted in favour of the Bill.

The Committee Secretary read out the Committee Report and asked that Members vote to adopt the Bill.

The Chairperson asked that Members vote to adopt the Bill.

Ms Ngwenya proposed the adoption of the Bill, and this was seconded by Mr Mkiva.

The Committee adopted the minutes of 10 October 2023.

Study Tour to Chile and Paraguay
Mr Mkiva asked that the Committee Secretary provide the Committee with an update on the matter. The last communication was an email from the Chilean embassy which said that the Chilean authorities could not receive the Committee on the date requested; however they would revert to the Committee with a date. He noted that the Chief Whip had said that all study tours and visits should be halted. With regard to Paraguay there has not been any communication to the Committee Secretary.

Ms C Labuschagne (DA, Western Cape) said that Paraguay is busy with elections and they are still formulating their new parliament therefore there may be a long wait for their response. She maintained that doing a study tour in the last quarter of the Sixth Term does not make sense. She also asked for input on the Committee programme going forward.

The Chairperson pointed out that the Committee programme was not included in the agenda.

Ms Labuschagne acknowledged this but maintained that it still needs to be addressed.

Mr Mkiva raised a point of order against Ms Labuschagne for raising something that was not on the agenda.

Mr Mkiva said that the study tour had been planned for a long time before the second quarter of this year and that the reason it has been postponed is because of bad administration. From the beginning it has been apparent that parliamentary officials did not want the trip to happen. He had predicted that this would happen a long time ago. The trip had already been approved therefore the declaration of no new trips by the Chief Whip does not apply to this Committee. It is clear that the trip will not be happening however it is not because of the moratorium issued by the Chief Whip.

Mr Mkiva said that Paraguay is not in the middle of elections and that the Committee was going to meet with the Paraguayan president. The work that would have been done by the Sixth Parliament in Paraguay would have been carried over to the Seventh Parliament. It is important that a report be escalated on how the Committee has been mistreated by officials.

Ms Ngwenya said that it is important that there are regular briefings about study tours in the future. Since the study tour had been approved, the question that needs to be answered is what the real reason is for the trip not happening. The Committee has been sabotaged. She expressed her disappointment and asked what would happen with the budget allocated for the Committee to go on the trip. She expressed her disappointed in the preparations for the Committee study tour.

Ms Labuschagne said that the allegation of sabotage is a very serious allegation. She reminded Members that in the Fifth Parliament which had the same Committee members, there was a difficulty in conducting the study tour. The staff had not changed and she agreed that the reason for the tour not happening needs to be communicated. The Committee should be provided with the correspondence as this is important for reflection. She asked how Mr Mkiva has information about the meeting with the president of Paraguay because the rest of the Committee does not have this information.

Ms Labuschagne said that if the study tour would be proceeding in this final quarter of the Sixth Parliament, she would like her name to be withdrawn from the tour.

The Chairperson said that the trip is clearly collapsed. She asked that the Committee section work harder. She is concerned about the travel agency being used as they may be inflating travel costs. Many factors could be contributing to the failure of conducting study tours.

Mr Mkiva asked that a final decision about the tour be made.

The Chairperson said that the Committee should get a paper trail of the planning for the tour to see if there was sabotage.

Ms Ngwenya said that the Committee is also to blame for the slow-moving pace of the finalisation of the trip. Members that undermine the Committee should also be blamed.

Mr Mkiva agreed with Ms Ngwenya. It seems unlikely the trip will happen at the end of the year. He asked that he and the Committee Chairperson meet and compile a report on what has happened since the start of the planning for the trip using all the correspondence. He maintained that there has clearly been sabotage.

The Chairperson said it is important that all the necessary information be gathered about the trip to provide Members with an adequate reason for the trip not being successful.

Ms Labuschagne interjected and said that it is important to talk about the programme.

The Chairperson asked that this be added to the next meeting's agenda so it can be addressed formally.

Ms Labuschagne said she is concerned because it should have already been on this meeting's agenda.

The Chairperson said that Ms Labuschagne should have asked that the point be added to the agenda at the start of the meeting the same way as Mr Mkiva did.

The meeting was adjourned.