Committee Reports on Oversight Visits to Eastern Cape, Free State and North-West Province

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Meeting report

HOUSING PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
08 November 2006
COMMITTEE REPORTS ON OVERSIGHT VISITS TO EASTERN CAPE, FREE STATE AND NORTH-WEST PROVINCE

Chairperson:
Ms Z Kota-Fredericks

Documents handed out:
Committee Draft Report on oversight visit to Eastern Cape Report
Committee Report on oversight visit to North West Province
Committee Report on oversight visit to Free State
[available at Tabled Committee Reports once adopted]

SUMMARY
The Committee considered three Committee Reports on its oversight visits to the Eastern Cape, North-West Province and Free State. None of the three were adopted as the delegations needed to work with the Committee staff to provide input and recommendations stemming from the visits. The Chair expressed disappointment in the lack of support received from Committee staff in the writing of the reports.

MINUTES
Eastern Cape Report
The Chairperson placed the draft Eastern Cape Report before the Committee and asked whether the delegation had had a chance to comment on the report.

Mr G Schneemann (ANC), as leader of the Committee delegation to the Eastern Cape, explained that the delegation had agreed to meet with Committee staff during a working lunch in order to work on the overall report. The Chair noted that the working lunch had been cancelled as Parliament’s caterers preferred members not to eat in venues where meetings were held. She was disappointed that the cancellation of the working lunch had not been communicated to the Committee by the Committee staff.

The Chair excused Mr A Steyn (DA) from the meeting so that he could work on changes that he wished to make to the North-West Province Report.

Mr Schneemann complained that the draft Eastern Cape Report was incomplete and that it did not reflect the scope of the visit. He pointed out that on the first day of the tour, when members had visited the Alfred Nzo Municipality, they had been briefed by the mayor and site visits had also been undertaken. The report was silent on both. The report was also silent on the second day's visit to the Matatiale Municipality where a great deal of discussion had taken place. A site visit to the Harry Gwala disaster area had also not been mentioned in the report. Day three’s notes on the meeting with the MEC and the Department of Housing needed to be fleshed out more in the report.

The Chair thanked Mr Schneemann for his input. She reiterated her disappointment with the Committee staff and said that it was not the duty of members to write reports but one of the duties of the Committee staff. She said that an explanation would be expected from the Committee Section staff at the next meeting.

Ms N Ngele (ANC) referred to the draft report and made the observation that it seemed that municipal officials in the Eastern Cape were not co-operating with one another.

The Chair stated that a comparison needed to be made between the various Committee Reports on visits to the Eastern Cape in order to gauge whether progress had been made.

Mr Schneemann suggested that the report be written up in a day-by-day format and that it be furnished to the Committee by Friday 10 November. This would allow members the opportunity to make additions or changes prior to their meeting the following week.

The Committee assistants agreed to have the report ready by 10 November 2006.

North-West Province report
The Committee found the format of the report to be acceptable.

Mr D Mabena (ANC) proposed that members include recommendations in the report.

Members agreed to forward their respective recommendations to the Committee assistants for inclusion in the report.

Mr L Modisenyane (ANC) reminded members that Mr Steyn had previously stated that he wished to make changes to the North-West Province Report. The Committee agreed that changes made by Mr Steyn would be considered.

Mr Schneemann recommended that members meet on 14 November 2006 to compile the recommendations made by members.

The Chair agreed that the respective delegations that had gone to the Eastern Cape and the North-West Province would meet on 14 November to compile their respective reports.

Free State Report
The Chair said that she had reviewed the Free State Report and had made additions where needed.

The Committee agreed to consider the reports at its next meeting.

In answer to Mr Schneemann asking if the Committee visit to Blue Downs the next day was still going ahead, the Committee agreed that the visit would go ahead as planned, after party caucuses had met.

The meeting was adjourned.

 

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