DHET Budget Vote Report

Meeting report

Committee Minutes dated 10 July 2024

The meeting began with the Committee considering the minutes of its previous meeting for adoption.

Ms F Hassan (ANC) said she felt the minutes were a true reflection of the meeting and was happy for them to be adopted.

Ms Y Govana (ANC) said the minutes were a true reflection of the meeting. She seconded Ms Hassan’s proposal to adopt the minutes without amendment.

Mr G Kgabo (ANC) also supported the adoption of the minutes. He asked that the Committee add to its report under “Recommendations” that it was awaiting reports from the Auditor-General (AG) on the audit outcomes.

Ms M Maseko (DA) supported the adoption of minutes as a true reflection of the meeting held. She asked for clarity on Mr Kgabo’s request, and whether this would be reflected in the Committee’s report or in its minutes.

Mr M Shikwambana (EFF) said some MK Committee Members had not received tools of trade, and were struggling to join the meeting.

The Chairperson noted this, and said he would follow up on the matter. He said this may have been due to late registration for the tools of trade.

Ms Hassan asked Committee support and administrative staff to attend to matters relating to the reimbursement for data while Members awaited tools of trade.

The Chairperson said he would attend to this, but most meetings would be physical.

The minutes were adopted without amendment.

Report on Draft Budget Vote 17: Higher Education and Training

The Chairperson asked Members if they wanted to make any corrections to the report.

Members went through the report, starting at the “Recommendations” section.

Discussion

Mr Shikwambana said the EFF had had limited time to go through the report. This was no fault of the Chairperson or the Committee, but was due to the Seventh Parliament rushing things and being disorganised. He was concerned about adopting reports without proper consideration, as this could have negative consequences as it affected the lives of people. He said many other committees also complained about the limited time to study reports.

The Chairperson said this was not a government of national unity (GNU) arrangement, but the programme of budget votes had been agreed to in the Rules Committee by the Whips of all political parties. He agreed that it had been a bumpy ride, and noted the points raised by Mr Shikwambana.

Ms Maseko asked for a list of documents and information on the Committee’s engagements with the Department so that it would be able to track recommendations and anything that was outstanding from the Department. She implored Members not to act as representatives of their political parties, saying that the Committee should work together and do its best to act on behalf of all higher education institutions in the country.

Ms L Sapo (ANC) (Alt) said the draft report had been sent within a reasonable timeframe. She encouraged Members to check their emails regularly. She was comfortable with the recommendations made.

Mr S Zondo (IFP) had a point of order, saying that emblems of political parties should not be displayed on the meeting platform.

The Chairperson said the order was sustained. He said Committee meetings were considered an extension of the House, and party regalia could not be worn or displayed during meetings. He asked Ms Sapo to remove her picture.

Ms Sapo apologised for this, and said she would correct it.

Mr Shikwambana said the Chairperson should correct Members, saying that the issue was not about receiving emails on time, but that there was pressure and things which required careful consideration were being rushed.

The Chairperson asked Members to avoid debating and unnecessary squabbling on the matter, and to be more tolerant of one another. He would respond to some of the issues.

Mr Kgabo said there were a few areas of concern that he wanted to raise, such as the budget cuts that would affect the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), particularly as this would have an impact over the next two financial years. The NSFAS has been unable to present itself before the Committee in the past two years, which was a serious concern. The majority of the budget had been assigned to the NSFAS and the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), so the Committee needed to reach an agreement on the modus operandi, because it could not be right that Members had to attend this meeting and agree to a budget allocation not knowing exactly what was happening. To a large extent, the information was that there was 90% good governance at the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, but did this address the initial mandate of having young people without skills incorporated into these skills programmes, and giving them access to institutions of higher learning?

He referred to Programme 2, and said the Committee had to reconsider issues relating to its budget. In the previous meeting, matters related to gender-based violence (GBV) and the general security of students had been raised. There was a serious need to apply security measures at the identified institutions. The Committee should also perform oversight visits, as this was a constitutional imperative. He said he fully supported the budget as it was presented.

Ms Sapo suggested that the Committee place on record what it had identified as a finding on the infrastructure development in the TVET Sector.

The report was adopted https://pmg.org.za/tabled-committee-report/5874/

The Chairperson thanked all in attendance.

The meeting was adjourned.