Election of Chairperson

Meeting report

Opening Remarks
The Committee Secretary welcomed members to the first meeting of the Standing Committee. She invited the support staff to introduce themselves.

Election of the Chairperson
The Committee Secretary indicated that the purpose of the meeting was for members to elect the Chairperson of the Committee. She invited members to make nominations.

Mr O Mathafa (ANC) nominated Mr W Wessels (FF+). The nomination was seconded by M E Spies (DA).

No other nominations were received.

Mr Wessels was duly elected as Chairperson of the Standing Committee.

Chairperson’s Remarks
The Chairperson thanked members for electing him and emphasised the committee's importance. The Committee had to provide oversight over the Auditor General South Africa (AGSA) and assist and support the AGSA to keep it independent and effective. The AGSA’s role was paramount to South Africa’s democracy, ensuring oversight of the Executive and accountability to the public.

The election of the Chairperson was the only item on the agenda. The Chairperson invited members to introduce themselves.

The members introduced themselves and congratulated the Chairperson on his election.

The Chairperson reiterated the importance of the Committee. He expressed his confidence that members of the Committee would work well together. The Committee consisted of experienced and new members. He served on the Ad Hoc Committee, which appointed the current Auditor General (AG), along with a few other members. For this appointment, members put political interests aside and made a decision based on what was in the best interest of the AGSA. He was confident that the Committee could move forward in this way. He said that a lot had to be addressed during this term, especially regarding the accountability of public funds – where the Committee would play a crucial role.

The meeting was adjourned.