Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill: DMRE & Eskom briefing (postponed)

Meeting report

The Chairperson stated that the meeting was supposed to be a joint meeting with the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, but unfortunately, the Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy had to attend to other responsibilities. This meant the meeting would have to continue without the Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy.

The Committee Secretary, Mr Disang Mocumi, mentioned the apologies of those participants who were unable to join the meeting. He also noted that he received communication from the Mineral Resources and Energy Parliamentary Liaison informing him that the Committee was still deliberating on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill. The team responsible for presenting comments on behalf of the Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy was attending to those deliberations.

The Chairperson asked the participants in the meeting whether anyone was representing the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) on the platform.

There were seemingly no representatives from the DMRE, as not a single person confirmed their attendance on behalf of the Department.

The Chairperson suggested that the meeting was “sabotaged” because no representatives from the Department and the delegates from both ministries were absent. He stated that, unfortunately, the business of the day could not be continued.

Ms J Mkhwanazi (ANC) said that the main purpose of the meeting was to get a briefing from the Department responsible for dealing with the Bill. If the Department is absent, continuing with the meeting would not be feasible. She concurred with the Chairperson’s suggestion to postpone the meeting to such a time when all the relevant parties were present.

The Chairperson stated that the meeting would be postponed, and they would interact with the Department to gauge the reasons for their lack of attendance.

The meeting was adjourned.