Election of Chairperson

Meeting report

The Committee Secretary welcomed members to the first meeting of the Standing Committee.

The Committee Secretary indicated that the purpose of the meeting was for the Committee to elect a Chairperson in accordance with National Assembly (NA) Rule 158. He confirmed that there was quorum.

The Committee Secretary noted that it would be a very busy term for the Committee and indicated that meetings may be called at short notice, but the incoming Chairperson would deal with this.

Apologies
Apologies were received on behalf of Mr K Wakelin (DA).

Election of the Chairperson
The Committee Secretary called for nominations for the position of Chairperson.

by Ms N Molwele (ANC) nominated Mr M Maimane (BOSA).

The nomination was seconded by Mr M Lekganyane (ANC). Mr Maimane accepted the nomination.

Mr M Burke (DA) nominated himself.

The nomination was not seconded.

The Committee Secretary noted the two nominations. He explained that voting would take place and members would only be allowed to vote once.

Mr W Douglas (MK) clarified that there were three choices: for the vote: for, against or abstention.

The Committee Secretary confirmed this.

Mr D Van Rooyen (MK) said that Mr Burke had nominated himself, and the nomination had not been seconded. What was the protocol in this case?

The Committee Secretary apologised for his error and stated that, as the nomination for Mr Burke was not seconded, it was nullified.

Mr Lekganyane asked what protocol the Rules provided in such a case. If there is not a protocol, the Committee could vote; however, if there is a protocol for this, the Rules should be upheld.

The Committee Secretary said that as the nomination was not seconded, it had been nullified. The nomination for Mr Maimane had been seconded and was, therefore, the only legitimate nomination for the position of Chairperson.

Mr Burke stated that the Committee meeting had been postponed yesterday due to an ATC issue and had been rescheduled on the morning of the meeting at short notice. A member who could not travel was not present in the meeting but would have seconded the nomination. He requested that the meeting be postponed to the following morning.

The Committee Secretary noted this.

Mr Lekganyane stated that Mr Burke had willingly nominated himself, but only when the nomination was not seconded did he request that the meeting be postponed. Despite the postponement, the meeting had a quorum. He suggested that the issue be put to a vote rather than debating the process.

Ms Molwele agreed that the meeting had a quorum and the nomination process was legitimate.

The Committee Secretary said that the apologies had been dealt with at the beginning of the meeting, so raising the possibility of postponing the meeting was not necessary. He reiterated that as the nomination for Mr Burke had not been seconded, it was nullified. This meant that the only valid nomination was for Mr Maimane.

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

The Committee Secretary congratulated the incoming chairperson, and members applauded.

Chairperson’s Remarks
The Chairperson thanked members for the nomination and their support.

The Chairperson highlighted the importance of the Standing Committee and looked forward to working with all the members of the Committee. He thanked the ANC for nominating him. Historically, the work of the Committee has been important and referenced his experience during his previous term in Parliament. He noted that the country was entering a new period, of a Government of National Unity (GNU) and the acceptance of a new fiscal framework that would be important in serving the needs of the public. He agreed that the Committee would be busy and that meetings could be called at short notice. He committed to working with the Committee and support staff to execute the Committee’s mandate. He invited members to engage with him to make the Committee as effective as possible.

The Chairperson indicated that the Committee had a briefing scheduled with National Treasury. Would it be possible to schedule the briefing for the next morning virtually at 9am.

The members agreed to hold the briefing the following morning.

Mr Douglas requested that the necessary documents be shared with the Committee before the briefing took place.

The Chairperson indicated that he would aim to have the documents available to the Committee by the end of the day. This would allow members to engage with the documents before the briefing.

Mr Van Rooyen spoke in another language. He indicated that not all members had received their devices. Would all members be able to convene virtually?

The Chairperson asked if any of the members could not join the virtual meeting.

The members indicated that they would all be able to join the virtual meeting.

The Chairperson noted this.

The meeting was adjourned.