Division of Revenue Bill: Negotiating Mandate

Meeting report

Consideration of final mandate report on the Division of Revenue Bill [B 4-2024]

The Chairperson welcomed Members to the meeting, and explained that it had been convened to deliberate and consider the Western Cape's negotiating mandate for the Division of Revenue Bill (DORA) [B4-2024]. She added that only two Members, Mr A van der Westhuizen (DA) and herself, had submitted written submissions.

Ms Waseemah Khamish-Achmat, the Committee Secretary, was requested to flight Mr Van der Westhuizen's submission.

Mr Van der Westhuizen's submission

Mr Van der Westhuizen said he did not support the Bill. During his 15-year stint as a politician, in both the National Assembly and the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, he had thought that South Africa was a very rich country and despite government waste, there always seemed to be enough funds available. However, this was not the case anymore.

Budgetary allocations to provinces were not on par with the fluctuations in the value of the rand. The centrality of public sector wage negotiations had also adversely affected provinces.

He said the Western Cape should strongly object to the Bill, and bring the attention of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) to its critical role in looking after the nine provinces’ interests. He could not believe that the NCOP had actually supported an increase of less than 2% in allocations to the provinces.

Mandate  

The Chairperson asked Members to formally indicate whether they supported the Bill or not.

Mr C Fry (DA) said that he was standing in for Ms C Murray (DA), and that he also did not support the Bill.

The Chairperson also did not support the Bill.

She then invited Members to formally adopt the final negotiating mandate report.

Mr Van der Westhuizen moved the adoption of the report, and Mr Fry seconded.

The Chairperson also indicated her support of the report for the legislature's records.

Outstanding Committee reports and minutes

The Committee considered and adopted the minutes of its meeting held on 18 April.

Mr Van der Westhuizen moved the adoption of the minutes, and was seconded by the Chairperson, as Mr Fry had not been present at that meeting.

Chairperson's concluding remarks

The Chairperson thanked Members for their presence, and said that the Committee would now await the outcome from the NCOP.

The meeting was adjourned.