Draft Committee Reports on visits to Oudtshoorn & Provincial Disaster Management Centres: consideration

PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
31 OCTOBER 2006
DRAFT COMMITTEE REPORTS ON VISITS TO OUDTSHOORN AND PROVINCIAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTRES: CONSIDERATION

Chairperson: Mr S Tsenoli (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Committee Report on Study Tour to India [Reports available once tabled at Committee Reports]
Committee Report on Annual Report of Department of Provincial and Local Government
Draft Committee Report on Visit to Provincial Disaster Management Centers
Draft Committee Report on Visit to Oudtshoorn

SUMMARY
The Committee considered its oversight visit reports to Oudtshoorn and the disaster management centres and proposed certain technical amendments, but would adopt the reports at a later date. The Report on the India visit would be adopted at a later date when the meeting was quorate. Discussion and adoption of the Committee’s Report on the Annual report of the Department of Provincial and Local Government was postponed, in order to give Members time to familiarize themselves with the report.

MINUTES
Oudtshoorn Visit Report
Mr W Doman (DA) stated that it should be noted that none of the councilors were present at the morning meeting referred to in the Report. The only people present were the mayor, deputy mayor and the municipal manager. Secondly, the paragraph on pg 3 which dealt with interaction with the Oudtshoorn community could be misleading because the Committee did not meet with the Oudtshoorn community, but rather with the womens empowerment group. The names at the beginning of the Oudtshoorn report should be removed as the people referred to were not present. Finally, Mr Doman stated that it was important that the Committee’s follow up report be added at the end of the Report.

Report on visit to Disaster Management Centres
The Chair argued that the format of the Report was very important, as the nature of the recommendations made by the committee must be in line with its mandate.

Mr Doman argued that, although a great deal of effort was invested in drafting the Report, it should include a section that dealt with the requests made to the Portfolio Committee and how the Committee responded to those requests. A great deal of input was also made by various municipalities, but their names were however not reflected in the Report. Furthermore, he contended that the wording of bullet B should read that councilors needed to be trained on disaster management and not that ‘councilors needed to be trained on their role on disaster management’. Finally, Mr Doman stated that Bullet number E, which dealt with funds from fire and disaster, should come from the total budget and not from ‘a dedicated portioning of an equitable share’.

Mr B Solo (ANC) stated that the Committee was not trying to be prescriptive when dealing with the funds for fire and disaster, It was however recommending, to those responsible for making financial decisions, that a certain portion should be dedicated for disaster management.

Mr Doman argued that a new bullet should be inserted which stated that the recommendations on disaster management in the prevention of disasters should be taken more seriously.

Report on visit to India
The Chair stated that the India report could not be adopted at the meeting because only two of the Members who went on the trip were present. The report would thus have to be adopted at a later date.

Committee Report on Annual Report of Department of Provincial and Local Government
Members were of the view that more time was needed to properly interrogate the Report.

Other matters
The Chair asked Members whether there were any other issues that the Committee felt should be followed up on.

Mr S Mshudulu (ANC) Stated that the Committee should follow up on the issue of Members of the opposition who, on a regular basis, failed to attend the meetings of the Committee.

Mr M Swathe (DA) believed that the Committee was not outgoing enough. He was of the view that the Committee should physically visit those municipalities that have been identified as nodal points, instead of calling the municipalities to appear before the Committee to provide reports

The Chair agreed. He added that the Committee should meet with the Department of Sports and Recreation to organize visits to the host cities of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. He stated further that the Committee should focus its oversight functions on whether municipalities were functioning in a manner consist with their Constitutional mandate.

The meeting was adjourned.