First Term Committee Programme; Tabling of CVs of PANSALB Board candidates

Meeting report

The Chairperson, Ms B Dlulane (ANC), welcomed all Members and attendees, expressing gratitude for their commitment. She acknowledged the challenges they faced, including the fire at Parliament. She emphasised the importance of finalising their work despite fatigue.

Mr B Mamabolo (ANC) accepted the meeting agenda for the day, which was then seconded by Ms R Adams (ANC).

The agenda was duly adopted.

Draft First Term Committee Programme

The Chairperson explained that they had received guidance from the Office of the House Chairperson regarding the programme due to upcoming elections. She mentioned that certain proposals, including legislation and input from other entities, could not be included due to time constraints. She highlighted some specific dates and events.

Ms V van Dyk (DA) pointed out that on Friday, 16 February 2024, there was also a joint workshop for Members leaving Parliament. She suggested considering an alternative date for the meeting scheduled on that day to accommodate Members' schedules.

The Chairperson acknowledged Ms van Dyk's point about the joint workshop for departing Members. She explained that the Office of the House Chairperson had accepted the programme, but she understood the importance of accommodating Members' participation in the workshop. She suggested considering another day for the workshop and informing the House Chairperson accordingly. She noted the potential conflict with Committee meetings on the proposed day.

The Chairperson then proceeded to discuss the schedule for the meetings planned for the term. She mentioned the need for additional days to address the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport Amendment Bill before the Committee and coordination with other chairpersons. She outlined a series of dates for proof-checking, adoption of submissions, and consideration of the Bill by the Committee. She emphasised the importance of legal advice and requested discussion on any concerns regarding the Bill in question.

Ms Zoleka Kula, Committee Secretariat, confirmed there had indeed been a delay with the Bill, as they were supposed to send out the advert on Monday of the previous week. However, this was not possible due to challenges with the service provider's contract, which had ended, and the service provider was responsible for advertising. Consequently, they had to undergo a procurement process by Supply Chain Management (SCM) to find three quotations, causing a delay. She thanked the Chairperson for intervening, as they had received the calls from SCM yesterday and were now in the process of trying to advertise before the end of the week. She stated that they were aiming to finalise the Bill by 27 March 2024, but this would require adding extra days to the programme and potentially seeking permission from the House Chairperson to sit during plenary sessions. Ms Kula emphasised the need to rework the programme due to the one-week delay. The advertisement had to be out for at least four weeks before any further processing of the Bill could occur.

The Chairperson expressed uncertainty about whether everyone understood the House Chairperson's indication regarding bills that were not yet tabled in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). She mentioned speaking with the House Chairperson, who suggested leaving the matter to himself and the House Secretary because the Bill in question was a section 75, not 76. She emphasised the importance of checking such issues collectively within the Secretariat.

Mr Mamabolo inquired about the confirmation of venues for the slots. He asked if the venues were going to be physical.

The Chairperson noted that preparations for venues had been underway since December 2023, and the current setup remained as planned. She expressed a desire for everyone to be in the same place during the proceedings, but the Committee staff had encountered difficulties in booking places.

The Committee Secretariat confirmed that venues within Parliament had been secured for hybrid interviews. Members would convene in one venue while candidates would be interviewed remotely. Due to financial implications, candidates would not come to Parliament. The Committee Support Staff had secured the venues and needed to confirm them and ensure equipment availability. Once the programme was confirmed and adopted, requests for interviews and necessary facilities setup would be submitted, ensuring the Committee's agreement due to financial considerations.

Ms R Adams (ANC) thanked the Chairperson and expressed her agreement with Ms Kula's explanation of the Bill handling process. She emphasised the need for more dates to allow for discussions and finalisation of the Bill, suggesting even working on weekends if necessary due to the delay in advertising the Bill. She urged for flexibility in scheduling to ensure timely completion of the Bill. She moved to adopt the programme.

** Ms Adams further shared via the Zoom chat platform: “Please Members, let work day or night, to conclude the professes of the Bill. It’s very important to this PC, bcoz the season of Sport are starting, and we dont want to face the problem from last year with the Springboks, not to rise our flagg, and many more issues regarding the legal aspects of the WADA BILL, Thanks.”

The Chairperson acknowledged Ms Adams's point, emphasising the importance of understanding the process and being open to allocating more days if needed. She thanked Ms Adams for her proposal and asked for a seconder.

Ms V Malomane (ANC) seconded the motion to adopt the programme but proposed that the Committee acknowledge the Chairperson and Secretariat's authority to make changes to the programme as necessary. She emphasised the need for flexibility in scheduling.

The Chairperson thanked Ms Malomane and all the Members, highlighting the importance of working together. She confirmed that the first term programme for the Committee had been adopted, giving the go-ahead to the secretary to proceed with necessary actions.

Adoption of Committee Minutes

Minutes dated 17 November 2023

Ms Malomane moved for the adoption, and Mr Mamabolo seconded. The minutes were duly adopted.

Minutes dated 21 November 2023

Mr Mamabolo moved for the adoption.

Ms Adams raised a point of order regarding her attendance, which was noted incorrectly in the minutes. She requested the correction to remove her name from the list of apologies.

Ms Malomane seconded the motion to adopt the minutes.

The minutes were duly adopted

Minutes dated 05 December 2024

The Chairperson reminded Members to pay closer attention to the list of attendees to avoid errors like the one pointed out by Ms Adams. She expressed appreciation for the Committee's commitment and participation.

Mr M Zondi (ANC) proposed accepting the minutes as a true reflection of the discussions, which Ms Adams seconded. The minutes were duly adopted.

Tabling of CVs of PanSALB Board candidates

Ms Bulelwa Kulata, Committee Secretariat, reported receiving 136 CVs from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) for nominees for the Pan South African Languages (PanSALB) Board. She confirmed that all documents had been circulated to Members and that profiles of each candidate had been drafted.

Mr Sibusiso Tsanyane, DSAC, confirmed the Department's receipt and forwarding of the nominations without filtering. He affirmed that the received CVs were the ones forwarded.

Ms Van Dyk raised a concern about allegations of corruption against one candidate, Professor Zwane, and requested clarification from the Department.

Ms Adams sought clarity on the Committee's authority to shortlist and interview candidates, which Ms Kulata confirmed was the Committee's responsibility after receiving the CVs.

Ms Fiona Clayton, Committee Researcher, elaborated on the steps of the process and the Committee's role in shortlisting and interviewing candidates. She remarked that there were subsequent steps in the process following the reception of the CVs by the Committee. She confirmed that the Committee's responsibility included compiling a shortlist of candidates for interviews. Lastly, she stated that the final shortlist would be sent to the Minister for his ultimate decision in accordance with the legislation.

Ms Kulata outlined the guidelines for shortlisting and the number of candidates to be considered.

Ms Malomane suggested that the Committee be provided with guidance to facilitate shortlisting. She emphasised that the Department's role was to submit received documents, not to respond to issues raised during the shortlisting process.

The Chairperson thanked everyone and proposed closing the meeting, expressing gratitude to all Members and the Department for their participation.

The meeting was adjourned.