Appropriation Bill: Committee Report

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed Members and explained that the Committee would be considering its report on the Appropriation Bill.

The Chairperson stated that Members had adequate time to consider the report and would therefore be granted an opportunity to deal with proposed amendments and recommendations in this meeting.

Ms S Nxumalo (ANC, Mpumalanga) agreed that Members were able to peruse the report and to check the submissions from stakeholders. She proposed that the report be adopted in its current form.

The Chairperson confirmed that the report accurately reflected the engagements with the public and stakeholders including COSATU and Equal Education.

Mr D Ryder (DA, Gauteng) thanked the administration team for the good report. He proposed the following minor changes:

Paragraph 5.1; the word ‘concerned’ to be changed to ‘noted’; and
Paragraphs 5.9 and 6.8; the acronym ‘EDC’ to be changed to ‘ECD’ (i.e. Early Childhood Development).

Mr Ryder further proposed that the timeframe of 60 days in paragraph 6.9 and all other related paragraphs be extended to 90 days. The period refers to a request that the Department of Basic Education (DBE), within 60 days, develop a clear mechanism to ensure that all needy schools are provided with equal attention, efforts and resources. He argued for the extension to be granted in order for the DBE to report back to the Committee in writing or by means of a presentation to inform the Committee of the work that had been done in this regard.

The Content Advisor, Mr Phelelani Dlomo, stated the timeframe was merely an indication, and the Committee was free to amend it to 90 days if 60 days were deemed too short. Responses to the recommendations could be expected via two streams. Firstly, when the Minister of Finance tables the budget at the beginning of the year through the Budget Review. Secondly, the Committee could request the DBE to follow up on recommendations that the Minister of Finance had referred to the Minister of Basic Education. The Secretariat has been making use of a tracking mechanism to monitor recommendations since 2019.

Mr J Majola (MK, KwaZulu-Natal) expressed serious reservations about the reductions to the votes mentioned in paragraph 5.4. He argued that the Committee was not being radical enough to overcome the obstacles of slow economic growth.

Ms S Ndhlovu (ANC, Limpopo) said extending the timeframe would not help measure the outcomes. She suggested that the 60-day period should not be changed because the Committee could use the tracking mechanism should there be challenges.

Mr J Britz (DA, Eastern Cape) remarked that the recommendation contained a request but would make more sense if it is framed as an action, even if there were other tracking mechanisms.

The Chairperson agreed that extending the timeframe to 90 days and including the action to provide a report would not harm. She would be checking the report to confirm that all related paragraphs have been amended to 90 days before it is signed off and shared with all Members. The Draft Committee Report was subsequently duly adopted.

The Committee Secretary, Ms Estelle Grunewald, sought confirmation from Members about the specific wording to be used to amend paragraphs 6.9, 6.10 and 6.11 as follows:

‘The Department of Basic Education should within 90 days after the adoption of the report, report to the Committee on a plan developed or provide a report to the Committee on a clear mechanism developed.’

Ms Grunewald advised that the Committee consider whether it would prefer a report on recommended actions as feedback.

The Chairperson supported the wording and gave Ms Grunewald permission to amend the report with the proposed wording.

Read: ATC240726: Report of the Select Committee on Appropriations on the Appropriation Bill [B5 – 2024] [National Assembly (Section 77)], Dated 26 July 2024

Minutes
The Committee adopted the minutes dated 23 July and 24 July 2024 without amendments.

The Chairperson thanked the support staff for their hard work. She expressed appreciation on behalf of Members for their efforts and effective organisation of the committee's work. She thanked Members for their engagement and deliberations throughout the process and ensured them that their hard work would not go unnoticed.

The meeting was adjourned.