Hansard: NA: Debate and vote on the recommendation for IEC Commissioner
House: National Assembly
Date of Meeting: 03 Mar 2015
Summary
No summary available.
Minutes
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Tuesday, 3 March 2015 Take: 1
TUESDAY, 3 MARCH 2015
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
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The House met at 14:03.
The House Chairperson (Mr C T Frolick) took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
Mr M Q NDLOZI
START OF DAY
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NOTICES OF MOTION
Mr M Q NDLOZI: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the EFF:
That the House debates the origins, spread, and impact of nyaope in our communities.
The LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
Mr M Q NDLOZI
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The LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the House—
- notes the serious allegations made in the Saturday Dispatch on 28 February that a R631 million contract was awarded to the Siyenza Group to build 66 000 toilets in the Amathole District Municipality area in the Eastern Cape without the proper tender processes being followed;
- further notes that Siyenza is allegedly linked to a number of high-ranking ANC officials and their families, whose names I will furnish to the National Assembly Table;
- denounces the alleged payment of R60 million to Siyenza for work already done despite Dispatch finding little or no evidence of construction having been completed;
- condemns the alleged enrichment of a small group of politically connected individuals at the expense of South Africans who are left without basic services; and
- rejects any form of corruption and crony capitalism, while holding those responsible to account.
[Applause.]
Ms L M MASEKO
The LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
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Ms L M MASEKO: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House debates the importance of e-governance in improving service delivery.
Mr K P SITHOLE
Ms L M MASEKO
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Mr K P SITHOLE: Hon Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the IFP:
That the House debates the presence and promotion of different cultures and languages in South Africa.
Mrs M R SHINN
Mr K P SITHOLE
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Mrs M R SHINN: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the House debates regulatory incentives, innovative taxation methods, and reducing bureaucracy in all spheres of government to accelerate the rate of broadband implementation in South Africa.
Ms H O MAXON
Mrs M R SHINN
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Ms H O MAXON: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the EFF:
That the House debates the continuing evictions of farm workers from farms they have resided on for generations, exposing the weaknesses of the Extension of Security of Tenure Act supposedly made to protect farm workers.
Ms D R TSOTETSI
Ms H O MAXON
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Ms D R TSOTETSI: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House debates the cost of communicating in improving the lives of all South Africans.
Mr M S MABIKA
Ms D R TSOTETSI
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Mr M S MABIKA: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the NFP:
That the House debates the enormous amount of taxpayers’ money that is spent on legal costs by the Department of Home Affairs, taking note that more than R100 million was allegedly spent during the 2013-14 financial year, which is more than double the amount of R46,3 million spent in 2012-13, which is four times more than the R21,3 million that was spent in 2011-12.
Ms D CARTER
Mr M S MABIKA
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Ms D CARTER: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of Cope:
That the House debates the failure of government to work closely and co-operatively with communities and their leaders to curb domestic violence and sexual crimes, and to eliminate with all the means that the state possesses sexual molestation and the rape of little children.
Ms M V MAFOLO
Ms D CARTER
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Ms M V MAFOLO: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House debates the role and importance of the SA Post Office and Postbank in contributing positively to our communities and environment.
Ms E N LOUW
Ms M V MAFOLO
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Ms E N LOUW: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the EFF:
That the House debates the need for the introduction of education and training taxes for private corporations to fund the education and training programmes for young and poor South Africans.
Mr R W T CHANCE
Ms E N LOUW
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Mr R W T CHANCE: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the House debates the causes of the recent spate of violent and xenophobic attacks on foreign-run spaza shops in Soweto and the West Rand, as well as ways of ensuring such attacks never happen again.
Mr M L SHELEMBE
Mr R W T CHANCE
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Mr M L SHELEMBE: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the NFP:
That the House debates the embarrassing reports about South African diplomats who are posted abroad, and who are alleged to have—
(1) provided incorrect information regarding their academic qualifications and been appointed without satisfactory vetting and background checks prior to their respective appointments, as is the case with our Ambassadors to the United States of America and to Japan; and
- misconducted themselves and engaged in maladministration, as in the case of the SA High Commissioner to Cameroon.
Ms N NDONGENI
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Mr M L SHELEMBE
Ms N NDONGENI: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House debates improving access to ICT infrastructure by rural communities.
Ms N R MASHABELA
Ms N NDONGENI
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Ms N R MASHABELA: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the EFF, which is the government-in-waiting ... [Interjections.] ...:
That the House debates the impact of the sugar daddy phenomenon and paedophiles in our society.
[Interjections.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Order, hon members!
Ms H S BOSHOFF
Ms N R MASHABELA
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Ms H S BOSHOFF: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the House debates the high incidence of food poisoning at schools in Limpopo, where students are fed through the National School Nutrition Programme, and further debates the question of the awarding of tenders to these suppliers.
Mr T J BONHOMME
Ms H S BOSHOFF
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Mr T J BONHOMME: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House debates the implementation of urban and rural greening programmes to promote quality of life in these areas.
Mr A M MPONTSHANE
Mr T J BONHOMME
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Mr A M MPONTSHANE: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the IFP:
That the House debates the successes and failures of the Moral Regeneration Movement.
Ms A T LOVEMORE
Mr A M MPONTSHANE
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Ms A T LOVEMORE: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the House debates the low level of competence in reading, writing and calculating achieved by most children in our schools, and considers reasons for the situation and mechanisms to address it urgently and effectively.
Mr K Z MORAPELA
Ms A T LOVEMORE
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Mr K Z MORAPELA: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the EFF:
That the House debates the settlement of land claims in protected areas and the continuing apartheid culture of excluding black people from their land, as typified by the settlement arrangements for the Makuleke, Dwesa-Cwebe, and Richtersveld restitution claims, which give land back to black people only on paper, while retaining apartheid land management practices.
Mr N M KHUBISA
Mr K Z MORAPELA
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Mr N M KHUBISA: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the NFP:
That the House debates the impact of natural disasters and the need to educate people in rural areas about such disasters.
Mr T E MULAUDZI
Mr N M KHUBISA
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Mr T E MULAUDZI: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the EFF:
That the House debates drawing up a progressive economic programme to transform Africa from being a net exporter of natural resources into being an economy that beneficiates and industrialises its raw materials.
Mr M S F DE FREITAS
Mr T E MULAUDZI
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Mr M S F DE FREITAS: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the House debates the functioning and effectiveness of the boards of the various entities that fall under the Department of Transport, and considers proposals on how they can perform more effectively.
Ms A MATSHOBENI
Mr M S F DE FREITAS
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Ms A MATSHOBENI: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the EFF:
That the House debates the remuneration of all former mine workers who continue to suffer the impacts of asbestos, and the criminalisation of corporations that do not take responsibility for health problems contracted as a result of work-related hazards.
Mr J VOS
Ms A MATSHOBENI
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Mr J VOS: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the House debates the poor infrastructure and road networks in many tourism hotspots located in rural areas, and how this impacts negatively on the economy of those areas.
Mr K J MILEHAM
Mr J VOS
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Mr K J MILEHAM: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the House debates the dysfunctional state of Mogalakwena Local Municipality, with particular reference to—
- the infighting in the ANC and its effects on service delivery;
- the role of the police in further exacerbating an already divisive situation and in accepting illegal, politicised orders that have not followed a proper chain of command;
- the failure of the Minister, the department and the MEC to adequately deal with the situation;
- the noncompliance with various court orders; and
- the continued prevention of municipal staff and officials from performing their work.
Mrs C DUDLEY
Mr K J MILEHAM
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Mrs C DUDLEY: House Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ACDP:
That the House debates what role South Africa can or should play in countering extremism and terrorism in this current age.
Ms H O MAXON
Mrs C DUDLEY
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EFF IN KWAZULU-NATAL
(Draft Resolution)
Ms H O MAXON: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that in KwaZulu-Natal the EFF held a successful provincial people’s assembly that saw the election of new leadership in the province;
- further notes that this was an historic meeting, being the first democratically constituted gathering, which resulted in the adoption of policies for the economic emancipation of the people of KZN;
- acknowledges that it signifies that our people are gaining confidence in the EFF and the party is growing at supersonic speed, making it the fastest growing political party in the country at the moment, which translates into the fact that the EFF is a government-in-waiting, so that those in KZN even said, “Siyavuma” [“We agree”];
- congratulates the newly elected leadership of the EFF in KZN on their new responsibility to free KZN people from slavery;
- notes that the EFF is more solid in its policies and united towards winning local government elections next year; and
- further notes that above all the provincial people’s assembly is a sign that in the local government elections our people will choose and associate with the agenda and programme of the EFF in our lifetime, as led by the Commander-in-Chief, who is celebrating his birthday today.
[Laughter.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Order, hon members! I now put the motion. Are there any objections to the motion?
HON MEMBERS: Yes!
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): There are objections. The motion without notice now becomes a notice of motion.
Mr D D D VAN ROOYEN
Ms H O MAXON
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DR S MABIZELA INAUGURATED AS PRINCIPAL OF RHODES UNIVERSITY
(Draft Resolution)
Mr D D D VAN ROOYEN: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that on Saturday, 28 February 2015 Dr Sizwe Mabizela was inaugurated as the sixth Principal of Rhodes University in Grahamstown;
- further notes that Dr Mabizela was appointed late last year following the resignation of Dr Saleem Badat, who accepted a post in New York with the prestigious Andrew W Mellon Foundation;
- recalls that Dr Mabizela enjoys a solid standing as a mathematician among his peers and that his professional global contribution to the discipline of mathematics is considerable;
- acknowledges that this appointment is for a period of seven years and that it may be extended for a further term at the discretion of the Council of the University;
- believes that Dr Mabizela will make history by being the first black African to head the institution, and that he is eminently worthy of his appointment as Vice-Chancellor of this prestigious university; and
- congratulates him on his new appointment and wishes him well in his commitment to transforming this institution even further.
Agreed to.
Mr Z N MBHELE
Mr D D D VAN ROOYEN
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RUNAWAY FIRES ACROSS THE CAPE PENINSULA
(Draft Resolution)
Mr Z N MBHELE: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that runaway fires fuelled by strong winds and scorching heat have devastated large parts of the Cape Peninsula since Sunday, 1 March 2015;
- further notes that even as we sit here today several fires are still raging across Cape Town as firefighters battle to extinguish the flames;
- acknowledges the bravery and diligence of the men and women of the Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services;
- further acknowledges that the Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services encounter danger daily to ensure that residents of the city are kept safe;
- recognises that the Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services serve a population of 3,5 million people and cover an area of 2 561 km²;
- applauds the residents of Cape Town for showing incredible generosity by dropping off supplies for residents and firefighters, helping those who have been evacuated and assisting hundreds of stray animals who try to escape the path of the fire;
- calls on those who are willing and able to assist to drop off supplies at the Newlands Fire Base, Lakeside Fire Station or Fish Hoek Fire Station; and
- conveys its sympathy to those who have suffered any form of loss during this time.
Agreed to.
Mr M S MABIKA
Mr Z N MBHELE
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AB DE VILLIERS BREAKS ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL CRICKET RECORDS
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M S MABIKA: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that last week Proteas cricketer, AB de Villiers, hit the fastest ever 150 in one-day international cricket, off 64 balls against the West Indies;
- further notes that just last month De Villiers set up two additional records, achieving the fastest 50 in a one-day international, in 16 balls, and the fastest 100 in a one-day international, in 31 balls, both also against the unfortunate West Indies; and
- congratulates AB de Villiers on his sterling performance.
Agreed to.
Ms J M MALULEKE
Mr M S MABIKA
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REPATRIATION OF MOSES KOTANE AND JOHN BEAVER MARKS
(Draft Resolution)
Ms J M MALULEKE: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- welcomes the repatriation of Moses Kotane and John Beaver Marks, whose remains arrived at the Waterkloof Air Force Base on Sunday, 1 March 2015;
- recalls that their families and supporters were there to receive them, five decades after they died and were buried in Russia;
- acknowledges that both Kotane and Marks were from the North West Province, and that they will be reburied in state funerals on 14 and 22 March respectively;
- believes that the repatriation of the two anti-apartheid heroes will bring much needed closure and relief to the Marks and Kotane families; and
- calls upon all South Africans to participate in the programmes which will take place as part of the build-up to the ultimate reburial ceremonies which will finally lay these icons of our struggle to rest.
Agreed to.
Ms V KETABAHLE
Ms J M MALULEKE
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FARM WORKERS EXPLOITED AT MAGWA TEA ESTATE
(Draft Resolution)
Ms V KETABAHLE: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that while the Eastern Cape Development Corporation prides itself on the Magwa Tea Estate, citing it as one of its good stories to tell, over 2 000 black farm workers have not been paid since May last year;
- also notes that while Magwa, the producer of more than 70% of South African tea, which used to be the biggest contributor to the former Transkei GDP, exploits the workers, government reports paint a different picture;
- further notes that the tea farm in Lusikisiki in Pondoland was opened in the 1960s by the native government and reopened by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, which provided technical and financial support to the tea estate, followed by an investment of over R50 million from government in the 2006-07 financial year;
- also notes the shameful reality that over 2 000 employees of the tea farm have not received their salaries since May 2014, despite the injection of over R50 million, which evidently did not benefit workers;
- further notes that the Eastern Cape government has failed to intervene since last year and, in the year of the Freedom Charter according to President Zuma, workers on the farm have approached the EFF, reporting no change in their working conditions;
- condemns the Eastern Cape provincial government and the national government for turning a blind eye to such a crucial issue, and being misleading in their reports that the tea farm is a success;
- calls on the government to expropriate the farm without compensation, and for control and ownership to be transferred to the farm workers;
- also calls on government to provide technical and financial support directly to the workers;
- further calls upon Parliament to urgently pass a law to protect local and infant industries against foreign competition, in this case to ensure direct benefit to the people of Lusikisiki; and
- calls upon government to introduce a minimum wage of R5 000 per month.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): I now put the motion. Are there any objections?
HON MEMBERS: Yes!
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): As there are objections, the motion is not agreed to.
Mr M HLENGWA
Ms V KETABAHLE
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WORLD WILDLIFE DAY COINCIDES WITH CITES ANNIVERSARY
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M HLENGWA: Hon House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- recognises World Wildlife Day, which 3 March 2015 marks, and the fact that this day is also the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;
- acknowledges that illegal trade in wildlife undermines the rule of law, threatens national security, degrades ecosystems, and is a major obstacle to the efforts of rural communities and indigenous people striving to sustain and manage their natural resources;
- further acknowledges that illegal trade in wildlife has become a sophisticated transnational form of crime, comparable to other pernicious examples, such as the trafficking of drugs, humans, counterfeit items and oil;
- calls upon the government and the appropriate departments to tackle the issues of poaching wildlife, and the transportation and consumption of illegally traded wildlife, and in so doing to use the same sorts of enforcement tools, techniques and penalties used to combat other serious crimes, such as trafficking in drugs or persons, in order to bring these poachers to justice; and
- applauds the efforts of the Department of Environmental Affairs as it chairs the Rhino Protection Programme, together with its various partners, and fulfils the vast mandate it was put together to serve.
Agreed to.
Mr N P KHOZA
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Mr M HLENGWA
LUCAS LEBYANE SHOT DEAD BY POLICE IN MPUMALANGA PROTEST
(Draft Resolution)
Mr N P KHOZA: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that the protest in Mpumalanga, between Bushbuckridge and Acornhoek, over water on Thursday, 26 February 2015 saw the death of 15-year-old Lucas Lebyane, shot dead by police for demanding water;
- also notes that the police used live ammunition, shooting the Grade 9 learner of Alfred Matshine Secondary School dead and injuring at least one other;
- further notes that the community was protesting over a lack of water, a basic human right, but the ANC government sent in police with live ammunition, like they did at Marikana, as well as Ficksburg, to kill Andries Tatane and many more who have dared demand better;
- also notes that more and more communities are fast losing faith in government’s capacity to provide quality basic services so that the poor have to resort to protest, which often becomes violent;
- condemns the use of live ammunition against poor, unarmed and defenceless people whose only crime is to demand better services;
- calls on the government to assist with the burial of the 15-year-old and to take appropriate action against the police officers who used live ammunition against defenceless people;
- further notes that the government failed to provide services, but sent in the police against poor people whose only crime was to demand better services;
- expresses its condolences to the Lebyane family and Alfred Matshine Secondary School in their loss;
- condemns in the harshest terms possible police brutality against poor people, and the use of live ammunition; and
- calls on the Minister to ensure that no live ammunition will be used during protests.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): I now put the motion. Are there any objections?
HON MEMBERS: Yes!
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): There are objections to the motion and therefore it is not agreed to.
Mr S C MNCWABE
Mr N P KHOZA
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PRESIDENT HIFIKEPUNYE POHAMBA WINS 2014 IBRAHIM PRIZE
(Draft Resolution)
Mr S C MNCWABE: Hon House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that the Namibian President, Hifikepunye Pohamba, has won the 2014 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership;
- also notes that he is the first African leader deemed worthy of this honour since 2011;
- recognises that the prize is awarded to democratically elected African leaders who excel in governance, and who step down from office at the end of their term;
- further notes that the annual prize was first awarded in 2007, when the late President Nelson Mandela was named the inaugural honorary laureate;
- congratulates the Namibian President, Hifikepunye Pohamba, on receiving this exceptional honour; and
- wishes him a peaceful and well-earned retirement as President of Namibia on 21 March 2015.
Agreed to.
Mr D D D VAN ROOYEN
Mr S C MNCWABE
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CONDELENCES ON THE PASSING ON OF MR M F SEXWALE
(Draft Resolution)
Mr D D D VAN ROOYEN: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes with sadness the passing on of the struggle veteran, Ntate Frank Sexwale, at the age of 97;
- further notes that Ntate Frank Sexwale, who is the father of former Minister of Human Settlements, Comrade Tokyo Sexwale, was buried at Heroes Acre in Avalon Cemetery in Soweto on Saturday, 21 February 2015;
- acknowledges that he is one of the few veterans who fought in the Second World War;
- recognises that Ntate Sexwale and his generation ensured the successful defeat of the apartheid government and delivered political freedom to the nation as a whole;
- believes that the departure of Ntate Sexwale is an immensely sad moment, as he remains one of the many compatriots who were prepared to pay the highest price for the liberation of South Africa and her people; and
- extends its heartfelt condolences to his wife Mme Sexwale and the entire Sexwale family.
Agreed to.
Mr J VOS
MR D D D VAN ROOYEN
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O R TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RECEIVES AWARD
(Draft Resolution)
Mr J VOS: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that the O R Tambo International Airport received the African Airport of the Year Award at a ceremony held earlier this week;
- acknowledges that one of the most important modes of transport in tourism is air travel, and it is therefore critical for our country to have state-of-the-art and internationally competitive airports;
- further acknowledges that tourism, as earmarked in the National Development Plan, is a vital contributor to the South African economy, contributing more to our gross domestic product than the automotive industry and sustaining more direct and indirect jobs than the mining industry;
- congratulates the hardworking staff of the OR Tambo International Airport for this remarkable achievement; and
- wishes our airports well as they continue to go from strength to strength in the role they play in advancing our tourism industry.
Agreed to.
Mr M S MBATHA
Mr J VOS
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UNIVERSITY STUDENTS MARCH TO DEMAND FREE EDUCATION
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M S MBATHA: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that hundreds of poor university students marched to the office of the Minister of Higher Education and Training to demand free education yesterday, 2 March 2015;
- also notes that the majority of the poor students were actually ones that had already been accredited by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS, as beneficiaries, but because the fund has so little money they were finally excluded;
- further notes that the institutions involved were the Tshwane University of Technology, the Durban University of Technology and the Vaal University of Technology;
- also notes that due to the failure of government to provide adequate resources for higher education, our students are left with no choice but to drop out, even though they are poor and accredited or deemed to be official beneficiaries of NSFAS;
- further notes that NSFAS, in its present form and shape, and with its current resources, will never be able to satisfy the ever increasing demand for higher education, mainly by poor black students.
- acknowledges that the reality today is that every year there are an increasing number of black students that matriculate with good results, only to be told that they will never be able to gain entrance to university;
- also notes that this is the year of the Freedom Charter and advises the government to at least extend its resources to cover the financially needy and poor students who qualify for NSFAS; and
- finally notes that NSFAS, however, is not the solution, because the solution is free education as advised by the Freedom Charter and supported by the EFF.
Agreed to.
Ms C N MAJEKE
Mr M S MBATHA
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INHUMAN MURDER OF FARMERS IN SOUTH AFRICA
(Draft Resolution)
Ms C N MAJEKE: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes with grief the continuous inhuman murdering of farmers in South Africa as a retired doctor, Louis-John Botha, 64 years old, was reported to have been brutally murdered on his compound game farm in Limpopo on Monday, 2 March 2015;
- further notes that this year, 2015, Mr Botha is the second farmer to be killed in the Waterberg District of Limpopo, after a woman farmer, Susan Kotze, 76 years old, was murdered on her farm near Lephalale in January;
- condemns these uncivilised and barbaric murderers, who murder innocent farmers, and states very explicitly that no historical justification can justify these atrocities; and
- calls on the authorities to make sure that the perpetrators are caught and punished for their acts.
Agreed to.
Mr M L SHELEMBE
Ms C N MAJEKE
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PERLEMOEN SMUGGLERS ARRESTED IN KUILS RIVER
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M L SHELEMBE: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
(1) notes that five people have been arrested by the Hawks during a raid on a perlemoen drying facility at a house in Kuils River, Cape Town;
(2) also notes that the value of the confiscated perlemoen was approximately R3,2 million;
(3) further notes that the Hawks also confiscated equipment to the value of R50 000 and R23 000 in cash during the arrests;
(4) also notes that three of the persons arrested are Chinese nationals and two are Zimbabwean nationals;
(5) congratulates the Hawks for their sterling investigation of the plundering of our marine resources; and
(6) encourages the Hawks to continue with their ongoing countrywide investigations to combat the scourge of syndicated perlemoen smuggling in our country with vigour.
Agreed to.
Ms J M MALULEKE
Mr M L SHELEMBE
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2015 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY HIGHLIGHTS BEIJING DECLARATION AND PLATFORM FOR ACTION
(Draft Resolution)
Ms J M MALULEKE: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House–
(1) notes that 8 March every year is celebrated worldwide as International Women’s Day;
(2) further notes that this year’s theme is “Empowering Women – Empowering Humanity: Picture it!”, which envisages a world where each woman and girl can exercise choices, such as whether to participate in politics, receive an education, have an income, and live in a society free from violence and discrimination;
(3) understands that this day is dedicated to societies’ reflecting on the progress that has been made since the signing of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action by 189 governments 20 years ago;
(4) further understands that this day calls for the celebration of acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities;
(5) acknowledges that in 2015 International Women’s Day will also highlight the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is an historic roadmap that has set the agenda for realising women’s rights;
(6) further acknowledges that while there have been many achievements since then, many serious gaps still remain; and
(7) calls on government, women’s formations, political organisations, civil society and religious formations to organise events to celebrate and uphold women’s achievements, recognise their challenges, and focus greater attention on women’s rights and gender equality, as well as mobilise all people to do more to fight against abuse of women and children.
Agreed to.
Mr N S MATIASE
Ms J M MALULEKE
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BACKROOM DWELLERS IN DAVEYTON LACK BASIC HUMAN NECESSITIES
(Draft Resolution)
Mr N S MATIASE: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
- notes that the backroom dweller communities in Wards 65, 68, 96 and 71 in Daveyton have been engaged in land occupation struggles since 17 January 2015;
(2) also notes that the ward councillors promised them settlement land during the local government election campaigns and beyond, and since then have not delivered on this basic human right, despite rising demands for land and homes for the homeless people;
(3) further notes that the land they had been promised was identified in Ward 96 where government moved hundreds of families in 2001, arguing that the piece of land was inhabitable, and yet it recently built a shopping complex on the same land;
(4) notes, moreover, that in 1991 and 2001 it moved people from this land and dumped them in Ward 71, Lindelani, where they still remain, without electricity, housing, water and sanitation, and all of these are basic human necessities;
(5) also notes that on 24 February 2015 the shack dwellers of Ward 97 were forcibly removed, on the instructions of the ward councillor, by the police and the Red Ants, using brute force, and resulting in injuries and arrests;
(6) further notes that this signifies that the government of the day is an uncaring government which responds to homeless and landless people with brutality and violence;
(7) notes, moreover, that this government has criminalised the homeless and the landless instead of giving them water, blankets or shelter, that it prefers to use violence on defenceless people, and that the only accommodation this government is prepared to provide freely for the poor masses is prisons; and
(8) finally notes that the EFF is here to tell the horror, the sad story of the people, especially of the black masses, which the ANC seeks to hide and does not want to be heard.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): I now put the motion. Are there any objections?
HON MEMBERS: Yes.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): There are objections and the motion is not agreed to.
Mr M L W FILTANE
Mr N S MATIASE
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27 DIE IN SUICIDE BOMBINGS IN NIGERIA
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M L W FILTANE: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
(1) notes that on Tuesday, 24 February 2015 there were suicide bombings at bus stations in two major commercial centres in Northern Nigeria, namely Potiskum and Kano, where 27 people died;
(2) further notes that Nigerian President, His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan, associated the attacks with the militant rebel group called Boko Haram;
(3) condemns these human rights violations and the loss of innocent lives; and
(4) calls on the international community to intensify its efforts and solve this conflict between the Nigerian Government and Boko Haram.
Agreed to.
Mr M Q NDLOZI
Mr M L W FILTANE
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208 YEARS SINCE USA ACT TO PROHIBIT IMPORTATION OF SLAVES
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M Q NDLOZI: House Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House—
(1) notes that 2 March marks the 208th year since the Congress of the United States of America passed an Act to prohibit the importation of slaves into any place within the jurisdiction of the United States from any foreign kingdom, place, or country;
(2) also notes that Great Britain enacted a law for the abolition of the transatlantic African slave trade in the same year, despite the fact that the trading of Africans into slavery continued in the rest of the Americas until the 1860s, particularly in Cuba and Brazil;
(3) further notes that by 1865 an estimated 12 million Africans had been shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas, and more than one million of these individuals died from abuse and at times torture during the voyage;
(4) also notes that, in addition, an unknown number of Africans died in slave wars and forced marches directly resulting from the Western Hemisphere’s demand for African slaves;
(5) further notes that despite the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, slavery continued in the Americas until well into the mid 19th century and that the 12 million Africans who settled in that part of the world evolved into generations and generations of slaves who toiled in chains as a hated and despised people, all for the benefit of the rise of the American civilisation and empire;
(6) also notes that these generations of African slaves in the Americas laboured in the coffee, tobacco, cocoa, sugar and cotton plantations, the gold and silver mines, the rice fields, the construction industry, cutting timber for ships and as skilled labour, as well as as domestic servants, and the descendents of these people, who now live as freed peoples, continue to suffer indignity as shack and slum dwellers in the inner cities of New York, Washington, London and other cities and towns, doing menial work as cheap and easily disposable labour;
(7) acknowledges that the colonisation of Africa followed the same pattern of exploitation, extraction and marginalisation which characterised slavery, leaving the continent with centuries of strife, instability, war, genocide and economic degradation;
(8) also acknowledges that the relationship of the West with Africa still remains structured in the image of slavery and colonisation, and that it is about the extraction of African resources, talents and skills in the advancement of the West, to the total detriment of Africa and its people wherever they are; and
(9) finally acknowledges that the economic emancipation of the continent of Africa will be incomplete until its diaspora populations are also free from economic bondage and the legacy of slavery in the USA, Haiti, Cuba, Martinique and everywhere else in the world.
Agreed to.
Ms N V NQWENISO
Mr M Q NDLOZI
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CALL FOR SUPPORT FOR FARMING COMMUNITY IN BONNIEVALE
(Draft Resolution)
Ms N V NQWENISO: Hon House Chair, I move without notice:
That the House—
(1) notes that since 8 May 2002 more than 147 members of the farming community in Bonnievale in the Western Cape have benefited from the land reform scheme under the infamous Ashton Small Scale Farmers Trust;
(2) also notes that the community, to this day, still have no access to water, the most essential resource for running a successful farming business;
(3) acknowledges that almost 13 years later a once successful and highly productive dairy and wheat farm, that brought joy to its recipients’ lives and helped heal scars and fix the injustices of the apartheid era, is now struggling without government support;
(4) further notes that the farming community has approached and exhausted every government channel they have been referred to for over a decade, and that all they have received have been empty promises;
(5) also acknowledges that a successful land redistribution programme requires strong government support to ensure sustained success;
(6) calls on government to provide the beneficiaries of the Ashton Small Scale Farmers Trust with funding, subsidies, skills development and other resources to ensure production on the land;
(7) also calls on the Langeberg Local Municipality to further support small-scale farmers in the area by buying at least 50% of the food they produce for service provision in school feeding schemes, hospitals, prisons and other government institutions; and
(8) finally calls on government to legislate for all its institutions to do the same.
Agreed to.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: House Chairperson, may I address you in terms of Rule 95?
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Yes, hon member.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: We have agreed on a process of circulation and at least one of the motions here today was not circulated and undercut one of the motions that we had circulated and received approval for. Can I ask you to reinforce the fact that parties need to circulate these motions so that it saves us duplicating one another’s work here in the House. Thank you.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Hon member, it is a fair request. If that is the agreement, it must be implemented like that. Ensure that your motions are circulated – I think it is by 12 o’clock on the sitting day – and also that copies reach the NA Table. It is difficult for us to judge from here whether they have been circulated or not.
Ms X S TOM (ANC)
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick)
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UMHLOBO WENENE DJ, AMBASSADOR OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC SABA MBIXANE DIES
(Member’s Statement)
IsiXhosa:
Nks X S TOM (ANC): Sihlalo weNdlu ohloniphekileyo naMalungu ale Ndlu yoMgaqo-siseko namhlanje singuKhongolose ndiphakama kule Ndlu sithokombisile kuba ukufa kusigqebhe olungatsinywa nayintwala iduma. Umsasazi ophume izandla waseMhlobo weNene uSaba Mbixane, eMpuma Koloni ulandulele eli limagada ahlabayo. UDj Manapukeni, Ntozabantwana, Izawu-zawu wenze imimangaliso ukubuyisela isidima senkcubeko yethu ngomculo wesiNtu, wawuthatha lo mculo wawubeka kwinqanaba eliphezulu.
Loo nto ingqinwa zimbasa athe wazifumana egqugqisa kwi-South African Traditional Music Awards, Satma. Iyolisa lomfo eliya kuhlala lihleli ezintliziyweni zethu. Intsizwa yoqobo ethanda ukuxabela, umve xa esithi, “uleqa ukhozi ngenja”, kulowo ke onqwenela into angasokuze ayifumane.
Khange ubavumele abacinezeli ukuba bathathe inkcubeko yethu bayenze unobenani. Ube ngumzekelo omhle, Zawu-zawu. Imbeko awukhange uyenze umbeko, ubunothando. Lala ngoxolo. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Ms D VAN DER WALT (DA)
Ms X S TOM (ANC)
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English:
LEARNERS FORCED TO USE HAZARDOUS TOILETS AT LIMPOPO SCHOOLS
(Member’s Statement)
Ms D VAN DER WALT (DA): Hon Deputy Speaker, 13 months ago the department of education in Limpopo undertook to eradicate pit toilets at schools in Limpopo by the end of March 2014. In support of the 2012-13 budget speech of his MEC for education, the spokesperson then, Phuti Seloba, said the following:
Come the end of 2014, ... –
after the dates were extended again –
... there will be no school with pit or bucket toilet in Limpopo.
Yet, just 13 months later a Grade 5 learner last week fell into a pit toilet at Leubaneng Primary School in Bakenberg near Mokopane, sustaining injuries. Four toilets which have to be shared by both male and female learners, of whom there are 530 in total, is not even in accordance with the department’s own norms and standards on infrastructure. [Interjections.] It actually amounts to one toilet for every 66 learners – not acceptable!
It is unacceptable that learners are forced to use hazardous ablution facilities with the risk of injury or serious infection. It is a serious problem across Limpopo province, where 48,6% of all school learners are made to use pit latrines during school days.
Where the DA governs in the Western Cape, school learners enjoy the highest access to flush toilets, at 98,6%. [Time expired.]
Ms E N LOUW (EFF)
Ms D VAN DER WALT (DA)
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PROTESTS OVER LACK OF WATER IN BUSHBUCKRIDGE
(Member’s Statement)
Ms E N LOUW (EFF): Deputy Speaker, it is indeed deeply regrettable that the ANC government continues to fail to deliver services to the people of South Africa, especially in the villages and remote areas of our country.
It is reported that protests over the lack of water in some parts of Mpumalanga province have brought schooling to a standstill. The shooting of 15-year-old Lucas Lebyane of Casteel Village in Bushbuckridge, allegedly by the police, during a water-related service delivery protest is a clear indication that the ANC government has now turned on its own citizens.
The government is using apartheid tactics to bully and assault them – and worse – even going to the extent of killing citizens for demanding basic services like water, electricity and housing. Our people are being killed because government does not have the capacity to deliver the services. Instead it resorts to the intimidation and killing of the innocent people of South Africa.
We have always said that the ANC government has completely run out of ideas for leading and serving our people in South Africa. They should step aside and give this to the EFF. [Interjections.] We have recently seen how police were used by the current government to beat up EFF Members of Parliament.
Mrs V BAM-MUGWANYA (ANC)
Ms E N LOUW (EFF)
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JOE SLOVO AND PHILIPPI INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS GUTTED BY FIRE
(Member’s Statement)
Mrs V BAM-MUGWANYA (ANC): Deputy Speaker, on 22 February 2015 a severe fire broke out at the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Milnerton, Cape Town, as well as at the Philippi settlement. Eighty-five dwellings were razed to the ground at Joe Slovo, while 270 persons were displaced, including 20 babies and infants. Tragically, a man died in the fire.
During a visit by the ANC, residents complained that since the DA took over governance in the Western Cape nine years ago, they have progressively suffered gross neglect ... [Laughter.] ... in that they lack houses and there is no consideration of their general welfare.
They are pleading that the Minister of Human Settlements will intervene, since the municipality of Cape Town has failed to build houses for them, thus depriving them of their human rights. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr M HLENGWA (IFP)
Mrs V BAM-MUGWANYA (ANC)
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CORRUPTION IN JOZINI MUNICIPALITY
(Member’s Statement)
Mr M HLENGWA (IFP): Hon Deputy Speaker, Jozini seems to be one of those municipalities that government has forgotten about and left those in charge to do as they wish. How else can one explain the brazen corruption that permeates every part of the municipality, while no effort is being made by provincial and national government to hold anyone accountable?
Service delivery in Jozini has been nonexistent since 2011, with communities stating that they have not had any running water, electricity, proper housing or roads.
What is shocking is that the municipal buildings themselves are falling apart, so much so that the toilets are said to be unusable and represent a dangerous health risk.
R9 million that was supposed to be used to provide electricity for the people of Ingwavuma never materialised. R92 million was used by municipal leaders for their own purposes instead of for the people of Jozini. The mayor gives bursaries to comrades and friends instead of those who need them, and even his wife is said to have used public funds to the tune of R10 million in a joint business venture. Operation Sukuma Sakhe was supposed to drive housing development in Jozini; yet, not one house has been built. Health workers, who do not even live in Jozini, are collecting monthly salaries without having to show up for work.
For how long must the people of Jozini live like this, and for how long will this situation be condoned by the provincial government? Are the people of Jozini so irrelevant that their government is not willing to help them or take the necessary steps to hold people accountable?
It is now a fact of history that the last time the people of Jozini had a real government was when the IFP was in charge. It is since 2011, when the bogus coalition came in, that people have been doomed.
Dr P W A MULDER (FF Plus)
Mr M HLENGWA (IFP)
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OFFICIAL STATISTICS ON FARM MURDERS IN SOUTH AFRICA
(Member’s Statement)
Afrikaans:
Dr P W A MULDER (VF Plus): Voorsitter, die VF Plus vra al sedert 2007, nadat die bekendmaking van amptelike statistiek oor aanvalle en moorde op plase gestop is, dat dit heringestel word. Daarom verwelkom ons die onlangse bekendmaking van syfers hieroor deur die Polisiekomesaris. Dis ’n noodsaaklike stap in die regte rigting.
Die stilte hieroor het aanlyding gegee daartoe dat groot verwarring die afgelope jare ontstaan het oor hoe presies ernstig die probleem is. Die VF Plus glo dis in belang van landbou dat dit weer jaarliks bekend gemaak moet word, saam met ander misdaad statistiek, sodat onnodige aanames so uit die weg geruim kan word.
Dis ook nodig dat ’n duidelike definisie gevorm word oor presies wat ’n plaas aanval en ’n plaasmoord is, sodat al die betrokkenes wat misdaad rapporteer die regte statistiek deurgee en ‘n korrekte prentjie kan skep.
Die VF Plus neem met kommer kennis van die groot aantal annvalle, soos deur die kommesaris gemeld, maar is terselfdetyd dankbaar dat, as die syfers korrek is, daar wel minder moorde plaasvind.
Volgens die syfers in ons besit is daar 1 651 mense op plase vermoor vanaf 1990 tot 2013. In Suid-Afrika is dit 132 uit elke 100 000 van die plaasbevolking, teenoor die Polisie se syfers van 54 uit 100 000, en die gewone bevolking van 31. Die internasionale syfer is 7 mense per 100 000.
Dit is duidelik dat ons ’n daadwerklike probleem in Suid-Afrika het wat plaasmoorde betref, en die VF Plus verwelkom enige stap om daaraan aandag te gee, en is deurlopend met die Minister in gesprek daaroor. Dankie.
Mrs J D KILIAN (ANC)
Dr P W A MULDER (FF Plus)
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CHALLENGES FACING HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
(Member’s Statement)
Mrs J D KILIAN (ANC): Deputy Speaker, last week the Minister of Finance announced that a record R62 billion had been allocated to the postschool education sector and R203 billion to the basic education sector. Parliament’s work of overseeing and adjusting the budget allocations will now start in all earnest.
Notwithstanding huge improvements in the quality of primary and secondary education, more needs to be done to ensure that more young people access postschool education. The unfortunate reality is that too many of our people are still living in extreme poverty and that equal access to education opportunities is not yet available to all South Africans.
The reality is reflected in the finding that in 2010 South Africa had 3,2 million 18 to 24-year-olds who were not in education, employment or training. This is more than double the 1,25 million 18 to 24-year-olds who were enrolled at universities and in the further education and training college sector.
Opportunities for remedial training or further formal skills acquisition after leaving secondary school in South Africa remain limited. This is due to household poverty levels, the nature of the tertiary education system, the failing sector education and training authorities, and the former FET college sector.
Fortunately the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training identified these systemic weaknesses, and dramatic interventions are being made to adjust the postschool system for the country as a whole. Thank you. [Time expired.]
Ms D CARTER (Cope)
Mrs J D KILIAN (ANC)
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FOOD SHORTAGES LOOM FOR SOUTH AFRICA
(Member’s Statement)
Ms D CARTER (Cope): Deputy Speaker, Omri van Zyl, a senior associate at Deloitte, has issued a warning that our country is facing a very real prospect of food shortages in the coming decade.
Using data from AgriSA, he shows that the average age of South African farmers is 62 years. In Australia the median age is 53 years and in the EU it is 55 years. While the ageing farmer population is indeed going to be a problem, electricity shortages, the slow pace of land reform, and intensifying droughts make up a toxic mix.
A World Bank study estimated in 2009 that just 11,8% of the national territory of 1,2 million km² is arable. This is another major problem we have.
Data from AgriSA indicates that South Africa today has 83 000 fewer commercial farmers than in 1994. Government needs to ensure that our country has a stream of younger entrants into agriculture, so that food security is guaranteed.
Last year agriculture contributed only 3% to our gross domestic product. This is half of what it contributed in 2008. We cannot afford to be complacent about agriculture and food security.
Cope is taking this matter very seriously and urges government to make agriculture growth an apex priority. We need to be food producers and exporters, not food importers. Thank you. [Time expired.]
Mr M H MATLALA (ANC)
Ms D CARTER (Cope)
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DISCORD IN AGANG SA
(Member’s Statement)
Mr M H MATLALA (ANC): Hon Deputy Speaker, we note the departure from active politics of Agang SA founder Dr Mamphela Ramphele and wish her well in her endeavours. [Interjections.]
However, it is disconcerting to read of the ongoing shenanigans in Agang SA, and in particular the discord between its Members of Parliament.
The health of our democracy depends on strong party-political structures that are able to engage robustly in pursuit of our constitutional imperatives and in the best interests of the public that we serve. It is therefore of extreme concern to read of the woes of members of Agang SA, two of whom lost their homes and were forced to sell the contents of their households to make ends meet and survive the crisis.
I call on Agang SA to get its house in order and end the long litany of public spats, discord and acrimony that threatens the very existence of the party, and hence the quality of multiparty debate, discourse and disposition. Thank you. [Applause.]
Mr M S F DE FREITAS (DA)
Mr M H MATLALA (ANC)
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MINISTER OF TRANSPORT MUST ACT ON MAKHURA E-TOLLS REPORT
(Member’s Statement)
Mr M S F DE FREITAS (DA): Deputy Speaker, the Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters, agreed to recognise the Makhura panel on e-tolls with the announcement last year that the SA National Roads Agency and the Department of Transport would make representations to the Gauteng provincial government e-tolls review panel, which they did.
This comes after a vociferous anti-e-tolls campaign by South Africans and civil society organisations, all of whom have been sidelined by Minister Peters. The about-turn by the Minister has come as no surprise, as e-tolling is being poorly implemented, without due process being adhered to.
The Makhura panel has completed its work, and made its report containing its recommendations public in January this year. As recommendations are competencies that fall under her leadership, the Minister must come clean as to whether the recommendations emanating from the Makhura panel will be taken to Parliament, where they belong, for consideration and implementation.
What is the Minister going to do about this report? She can no longer ignore this issue, as it simply won’t go away. Thank you.
Ms N NDONGENI (ANC)
Mr M S F DE FREITAS (DA)
|
PROGRESS IN POST OFFICE STRIKE AND POSTBANK STABILISATION
(Member’s Statement)
Ms N NDONGENI (ANC): The ANC notes and welcomes the progress made with regard to the recent disruptions in the services of the SA Post Office. The SA Post Office has suffered a prolonged strike that has seen clients lose confidence in its ability to service the citizens.
This has led to the appointment of Dr Simo Lushaba, who has had to stabilise the institution, even though the financial situation has not improved.
It is important to note that although the SA Post Office has faced financial difficulties, Postbank has stabilised and the process towards the corporatisation of Postbank is still on track, as per the commitment of the ANC government.
The ANC calls upon unions and the leadership in the SA Post Office to engage with one another so that they avoid another strike, as this will further collapse the institution and will not assist in building confidence in customers and corporate clients. I thank you.
Mr S M JAFTA (AIC)
Ms N NDONGENI (ANC)
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RURAL ROADS IN BAD CONDITION
(Member’s Statement)
Mr S M JAFTA (AIC): Deputy Speaker, the AIC has noted with serious concern that roads in the rural areas of this country are in a bad condition, and people feel ignored and forgotten by the government.
In some areas this has resulted in peaceful demonstrations by residents, and unnecessary shootings by the SA Police Service. Such incidents have occurred in the last few weeks in some parts of the area of the Alfred Nzo District Municipality. We need to condemn the shooting of peaceful demonstrators by the SAPS in areas like Hartenberg and Nchodu in that region, and call upon the relevant departments, like Public Works, to see to it that roads are continuously maintained in rural areas.
IsiXhosa:
Sekela Somlomo, mandigqibele ngokuthi i-AIC ikhala kunye nekhaya lakwaMbixane eMandileni. Ndiyabulela.
Mr E K SIWELA (ANC)
Mr S M JAFTA (AIC)
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STELLENBOSCH RACIAL INCIDENT CONDEMNED
(Member’s Statement)
Mr E K SIWELA (ANC): Deputy Speaker, the ANC notes the racial incident that took place in a food outlet in Stellenbosch, where black students were attacked and assaulted by fellow white Afrikaans–speaking students. During the attack the black students were told that they did not belong there, as they were not speaking Afrikaans.
This has happened at a time when the ANC has declared 2015 the Year of the Freedom Charter. In its Preamble, the Charter demands that we create a South Africa where all people, black and white, can live in harmony and peace.
The Constitution guarantees people the right to live anywhere in South Africa without fear of being victimised on the basis of their colour, race, language or creed. It states that, “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.”
It is hard to believe that 21 years into democracy there are still people who perpetuate racism. The ANC condemns the action of these students with the contempt it deserves. Thank you. [Applause.]
Ms H S BOSHOFF (DA)
Mr E K SIWELA (ANC)
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BUSHBUCKRIDGE WATER PROTESTS
(Member’s Statement)
Ms H S BOSHOFF (DA): Deputy Speaker, the constant protest actions by residents of Bushbuckridge are a clear indication that the delivery of services, especially that of water, have reached breaking point.
On Thursday, 25 February Lucas Lebyane, a 15-year-old boy, was fatally wounded and another was shot in the leg when protesters from Casteel village blockaded the R40 road with rocks and burning tyres, demanding that the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality provide them with water
What is of great concern is that on the occasion of his state of the province address the premier, to loud applause, confidently told the people of Mpumalanga that the problem of the water supply to Bushbuckridge had been solved. The shooting and the killing of Lucas are in direct contradiction to what the premier told the people in his address on Friday. This once again demonstrates the extent of the ANC government’s disconnection with the real state of affairs in the province.
I therefore wish to call on the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to intervene as a matter of urgency – to seek solutions and to put an end to these protest actions by ensuring that water is delivered to them.
I also call on the Minister responsible for the SA Police Service to launch a full-scale investigation into the use of live ammunition to disperse protesters. Thank you.
Ms M V MAFOLO (ANC)
Ms H S BOSHOFF (DA)
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RETRENCHMENTS AT TELKOM AND MTN
(Member’s Statement)
Ms M V MAFOLO (ANC): The ANC is concerned about the anticipated retrenchment of employees at Telkom and MTN. It is our belief that it is not the responsibility of government alone to create and preserve jobs, that of all entities and the private sector to play their part in creating jobs and helping to move this country forward.
Corporations must never put profit and the interests of investors above building a stable and prosperous country. We believe that retrenchments should be the last resort and that they should be done in consultation with all stakeholders and parties involved. Corporations have the responsibility to support the vision and progress of government, and one of those priorities is to create jobs and alleviate poverty. I thank you.
The MINISTER OF TRANSPORT
Ms M V MAFOLO (ANC)
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MINISTER OF TRANSPORT MUST ACT ON MAKHURA E-TOLLS REPORT
(Minister’s Response)
The MINISTER OF TRANSPORT: Deputy Speaker, I want to indicate to the hon member who made the statement with regard to the e-toll panel in Gauteng that I am on record as indicating that when the Premier of Gauteng receives the report from the panel, he will duly process it correctly.
I also want to indicate that the premier is on record as indicating that he has consulted with the municipalities that are affected, and the national government through the Ministries of Transport and of Finance. You will remember that one of the key factors relating to this matter is finance.
I must also indicate once more that His Excellency President Jacob Zuma has set up a platform, a committee that is chaired by the Deputy President. It is this committee that is processing the matters that the Gauteng province is consulting the national government on. The Minister of Finance and I are part of that process. When the Deputy President has considered what has been submitted to him he will duly report on that.
I believe that Members of Parliament will also get to know what is in the proposals arising out of the consultative matters.
The MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The MINISTER OF TRANSPORT
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CHALLENGES FACING HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
STELLENBOSCH RACIAL INCIDENT CONDEMNED
(Minister’s Response)
The MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING: Hon Deputy Speaker, I wish to respond briefly to two statements. The first one is by the hon Kilian. I agree with her on the challenges facing the postschool education and training sector. We are indeed, as the ANG government, committed to the expansion and diversity of postschool education and training opportunities, with a particular focus on expanding the technical and vocational education and training colleges, and the college sector in general.
This year, we are also piloting, with the introduction of a new institutional type, the community colleges. These are especially aimed at those who never finished school, as well as those who never went to school. Let me say that entry into community colleges will have absolutely no requirements. Anybody and everybody will be accepted at these colleges, irrespective of whether they went to school or not.
The second response, quickly, is to hon E K Siwela. We share the concerns about the racial incidents at Stellenbosch University. Currently our department is drawing up a charter of social inclusion to be adopted by all institutions. This is, amongst other things, to deal with racist and patriarchal incidents. The matter is within the purview of the Oversight Committee on Transformation in the South African Universities.
I would also like to advise the EFF that they should be marching to institutions where these incidents are happening and not occupying themselves with marching to my office every day. Thank you very much.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Gordhan, I mentioned the hon Nel earlier on, but since you are here I will give you the chance.
The MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS: The hon Nel ...
Mr M Q NDLOZI: Hon Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What are you rising on, hon member?
Mr M Q NDLOZI: Just before the next speaker, we want to give the Minister of Higher Education and Training ...
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What are you rising on?
Mr M Q NDLOZI: ... revolutionary advice. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, no. What are you rising on, hon member?
Mr M Q NDLOZI: On a point of a revolutionary advice. [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, there is no point of order like that. Please, hon Ndlozi, you know. Please take your seat. Hon Gordhan.
The MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
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PROTESTS OVER LACK OF WATER IN BUSHBUCKRIDGE
(Minister’s Response)
The MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS: Deputy Speaker, the hon Nel will still respond on the Jozini matter. On the question of Bushbuckridge, as of 9:00 yesterday morning, our report was that there was a protest, that there was a meeting with the mayor, and that matters were in hand.
However, the more recent information that the member has provided we will look into, and if there is anything on which to get back to her, we will certainly to do that.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS – PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS
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CORRUPTION IN JOZINI MUNICIPALITY
(Minister’s Response)
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS – PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Deputy Speaker, I want to thank hon Hlengwa for his statement on Jozini Municipality. He has raised very worrying things in his statement.
I think the hon Hlengwa, as a member of the Portfolio Committee on Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, would be very well aware of our Back to Basics programme, and that we have identified the fact that about one third of our municipalities are in trouble and are dysfunctional. He would also be familiar with the steps that we are taking to intervene and solve those problems. [Interjections.]
I am very glad that he has raised the issue of Jozini because, in fact, the issues that he has raised in his statement were uncovered as a result of a forensic investigation that was commissioned by the MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs in KwaZulu-Natal, MEC Dube-Mncube. That forensic investigation unearthed a number of very, very serious irregularities in Jozini Municipality.
What does the MEC say? The MEC says that these findings are proof that this investigation was conducted without fear or favour, and our appeal is now to the Jozini council to consider the report and action the recommendations within 21 days in a process that we at the Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs will observe closely.
I think, as hon Hlengwa would know, the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs in KZN does, in fact, observe very closely. This is evidenced by the fact that last year and this year there have been a number of section 1 interventions in terms of section 139(1)(c) of the Constitution, where the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs in the KZN province has stepped in and dissolved municipalities where they have not discharged their executive responsibilities in terms of the Constitution. The latest such intervention was in Mtubatuba Local Municipality.
So we thank you very much for your statement. We will certainly be working with our colleagues in the province to make sure that this report is actioned. [Time expired.]
The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS – PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
|
FARM WORKERS EXPLOITED AT MAGWA TEA ESTATE
(Minister’s Response)
The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Deputy Speaker, in responding to the situation at the Magwa plantation, we are engaging the province, but we are being led by the local leadership of that area.
The matter is not as easy as presented by the hon member. It involves internal claims in that locality. I am in touch with the King of the area. We are planning a meeting together with the Department of Tourism so that we can come up with a programme that does not focus only on tea, but also looks at other crops that can be planted so that the livelihood of those people can be improved.
I will not venture into determination of wages, ...
IsiXhosa:
... ngoba ndiyawazi umnqamelo aqamele ngawo khona ukuze abe uthi ama-R5000 ilungile. Ndiyayazi ukuba xa kusenziwa uhlenga-hlengiso lwemivuzo kuye kujongwe uninzi lwezinto, kuqinisekiswe ukuba xa usithi makuhlawulwe ama-R5000 ngenyanga, loo nto uyibhekiselele entwenini.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker, I have a point of order.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of order? Just hold on, hon Minister. Take your seat. Hon Chief Whip, what are you rising on?
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker I am rising because the hon Minister is responding to a motion without notice on the Magwa Tea Estate, which was rejected by the House, and not a member’s statement. If he wants to debate the motion without notice on the Magwa Tea Estate, then the ruling party should have supported the motion. The Minister is now involved in responding to a motion, not a member’s statement.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Okay. Finish off, hon Minister.
IsiXhosa:
Mandicele uxolo kulo ungaphaya kuba khange ndiyive ikhatywa. Ndikucinga ukuba lo mba ubuphakanyiswa yi-EFF ubalulekile kuba ke le nto idla umzi kuba aba bantu balaa ndawo kufuneka sibancedile. Ndicinga ukuba ilungu le-EFF ebeliphakamise lo mba liya kuba nathi ukuze siqinesekise ukuba asithethei nje koko siya sebenza. Enkosi.
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION
The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES
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LEARNERS FORCED TO USE HAZARDOUS TOILETS AT LIMPOPO SCHOOLS
(Minister’s Response)
The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Deputy Speaker, with regard to the programme around infrastructure and, in particular, the latrine programme in Limpopo, I can definitely assure this House that the pit latrine eradication programme in Limpopo is indeed progressing well. We are also confident that with the generous budget that has been allocated for 2015 the programme will meet its deadline.
We do want to say that it is not only a Limpopo problem; it is a national problem. As the national department, we are working with provinces to make sure that our provinces do indeed meet the norms and standards that we at the national government have set.
As I speak - because it is national programme – this very Friday we will be opening a school here in the Western Cape as part of assisting all the provinces to meet the norms and standards. We will also be opening another one next week. We are opening a school every week, especially in the Eastern Cape, because our infrastructure programme is indeed a national challenge.
I must say that with this year’s budget I think that we as a sector will be able to meet our infrastructure challenges, including the pit latrine eradication programme. Thank you, Deputy Speaker.
Mr M Q NDLOZI: Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, hon member?
Mr M Q NDLOZI: May I please address you in terms of Chapter 9 of the Rules of the National Assembly? I refer to Rule 105(6) and (7).
I don’t want to be accused of racism and that is why I did not rise before. Hon Minister Gordhan and his Deputy Minister both spoke. That is not allowed. We raised this last week, and we are raising it again. If the Minister is around, the Deputy Minister should not speak. So the hon Minister must not do it again. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, ...
Mr M Q NDLOZI: The last time I raised it, they said I was racist with the hon ... [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member.
Mr M Q NDLOZI: So I wanted to just clarify the fact, Deputy Speaker, that it is within the spirit of the Rules that we are raising this question. [Interjections.]
The MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS: I rise on a point of order, Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, hon Minister. What are you rising on?
The MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS: Can I just explain that I was not in the House when Mr Hlengwa was speaking. I got into the House just as he was completing his statement. I asked the Deputy Minister, who had been in the House, to address that point.
So I would imagine that racism has nothing to do with this. Our young colleague’s imagination is really running away with him.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Hon Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What are you rising on, hon member?
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Deputy Speaker, I would like to give you a clearer context. The Rule that we are talking to provides:
In the absence of a Minister who may respond to a statement as envisaged in Subrule (6), the relevant Deputy Minister or any other Minister must be given an opportunity to respond on behalf of the absent Minister.
Now the Deputy Minister has spoken in the presence of the Minister. We cautioned you in a previous sitting that this is not allowed. The Deputy Minister can only speak when the Minister is not here.
It happened with the Minister of Justice in a previous sitting and a ruling was made that a Deputy Minister is not supposed to speak.
So the Deputy Minister must really relax, and all other Deputy Ministers must relax too. [Laughter.] They will speak when their bosses are not here, please. We want to be respected; we don’t want to be addressed by Deputies. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, order! Order! [Interjections.] Order, hon members! Order! What are you rising on, hon member?
Mr M Q NDLOZI: May I please address you, hon Deputy Speaker?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: On what, hon member?
Mr M Q NDLOZI: I want to clarify this point. Last week when we raised the same matter, I was accused of racism by the hon Kubayi. She said that she was going to write a complaint that I was a racist because I had said that the hon Deputy Minister, who is white, was speaking when the Minister, who is black, was here. The Minister walked out, running. I was called to order. They said that I must not raise the issue in terms of race.
But it does pain us because the bosses are here, you know, and the Deputies are here, and they are speaking. They must not speak. [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Ndlozi, I would like you to take your seat.
Mr M Q NDLOZI: [Interjections.] ... being racist. I am trying to clarify to the hon members on the other side that it is the Rules, really. [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Ndlozi, take your seat. .../
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Ndlozi, take your seat. .../
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
|
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Ndlozi, take your seat.
Hon members, the House must take exception to this constant use and abuse of racial appellations in the conduct of our affairs. [Applause.] You can read the Rules and interpret them as they state ... [Interjections.] What’s wrong with your referring to Deputy Ministers? When you degenerate into using race as your objection, you are creating a problem. I am just suggesting that it is not appropriate that we go that route.
Hon members, I also find it terribly strange that where circumstances allow it we should not, in the interests of accountability, allow members of the executive to answer questions – whether Deputy Ministers or Ministers. You are correct in pointing out the Rules as they stand. So, where evidence is sufficiently strong for us to allow those circumstances that will allow it to happen, allow us presiding officers the latitude to make that decision. Our doing it is in the interests of accountability.
Does who it comes from really matter? It matters in important ways when we are unable to get any responses. I get excited when many Ministers and their deputies are here to answer questions – Ministers alone or with their deputies.
I suggest that this matter be dealt with in the Rules Committee so that we do not come back to it for some kind of finalisation, and so that we get guidance on this position.
I would like to stop at that and allow us to proceed. Thank you very much hon members. [Applause.]
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Deputy Speaker, you have not given a ruling. The existing Rules proscribe a Deputy Minister’s speaking when the Minister is here. That is what the Rules say. There is no ... [Inaudible.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, ...
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Don’t run Parliament for your own convenience and try to say lots of things here simply as rhetoric.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, ...
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: You must live by the Rules here so that we able to move consistently. We do not want to be confused.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, ...
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: As long as this Rule exists there is no Deputy Minister who is going to speak when the Minister is here. It’s as simple as that.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Take your seat, hon member.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: And if you want to change the Rule you can go and change the Rule. There is a process of changing the Rules now. You can change that Rule and then we can allow Ministers and their deputies to speak here. But as far as this Rule is concerned, Deputy Ministers must keep quiet ...
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, ...
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: ... and give notes to the Ministers when we are asking questions so that the Ministers are the ones who are responsible.
An HON MEMBER: They are not members of the Cabinet.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: They are not even members of Cabinet, these people. They are not supposed to be here in the first place. It is an unnecessary expenditure, which is just so that people can speak forever, not knowing what they are talking about. So they must really shut up, please.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, ...
Mr D D D VAN ROOYEN: Hon Deputy Speaker, could I please address you on a point of order?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, hon member.
Mr D D D VAN ROOYEN: Hon Deputy Speaker, I find it a bit disrespectful, and also unparliamentary, for the hon member Shivambu to indicate that Deputy Ministers must “shut up”.
Furthermore, I find it unacceptable that the hon Shivambu also said that when Deputy Ministers address this august House, that does not show respect to members. I would like you to look into that and make a ruling on it, because I don’t think that is parliamentary. Thank you.
Mr M Q NDLOZI: Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, no, no. [Interjections.] No. Hon members, let me ...
Mr M Q NDLOZI: But can I address you, hon Deputy Speaker, respectfully?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Let me do this, hon member. Hon Ndlozi, what are you rising on?
Mr M Q NDLOZI: May I please address you respectfully, hon Deputy Speaker?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes.
Mr M Q NDLOZI: Hon Deputy Speaker, please, we are speaking in the best interests of the spirit of the Rules. We must not be vilified when we ask hon members to stick to the Rules, including you, hon Deputy Speaker. It is not wrong.
By the way, a ruling was made last time. A ruling was made that that was wrong. Therefore, you cannot change it today just because you are afraid to say Deputy Ministers must be supervised. Deputy Ministers must sit down. It is not wrong to say that when their bosses are here, they must keep quiet. They must not speak.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Ndlozi, don’t spoil ...
Mr M Q NDLOZI: We are vilified for quoting the Rules!
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, don’t spoil your language by ...
Mr M Q NDLOZI: You must rule properly, Deputy Speaker. Other members of the House are now vilifying us for quoting the Rules!
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Let me explain to you what the problem is, hon Ndlozi. Do not raise an important point and then use abusive language to describe hon members in the House. You degenerate into using inappropriate language, and therefore create a problem for how we should address each other.
Hon members, I have said that the citing of that Rule was correct. I did not hesitate to say that, because I realised that it was something important. All I am suggesting to you is that we be politically sensitive to the responsibilities members have asked us to undertake.
We will stick by the Rules. We will work with the Rules. Many of you here in the House do not, by the way, strictly adhere to the Rules and we ... [Interjections.] Hang on! Let me explain to you. I have explained my conduct and the rulings I have made, and I have suggested to you that you go and discuss this matter in the Rules Committee, so that we bring a guiding mechanism here that will enable us from here on to apply the Rules strictly.
If you agree hon members, we can be very strict, and when we become very strict, it is not going to be nice – I can promise you that. [Interjections.] We will be strict. We are operating in the interests of a healthy political exchange in the House, and not bureaucratically obstructing discussion. We will request you to do so and, if you don’t, we will raise it ourselves in the Rules Committee to get guidance.
This matter is now closed. Thank you very much.
Mr B L MASHILE
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
|
CONSIDERATION OF PERSON RECOMMENDED FOR APPOINTMENT TO ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Mr B L MASHILE: Deputy Speaker, the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs met on 24 February 2015 to consider the request to the National Assembly by the Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa to nominate a suitable candidate to fill a vacancy in the Electoral Commission. The vacancy had arisen due to the resignation of Adv Pansy Tlakula at the end of September 2014. That request was referred to the committee by the Speaker on 25 November 2014 for consideration and report.
The letter dated 21 November 2014 from the Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa, hon Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, submitted to the National Assembly a list of recommended candidates for the filling of the vacancy in the Electoral Commission.
The committee deliberated on the names recommended extensively. After these deliberations it was clear that there was no agreement on one name for recommendation to this House. Between the two names, Mr Vuma Mashinini and Ms Janet Love, the majority of committee members supported Mr Vuma Glenton Mashinini for recommendation to this House for the filling of the vacancy in the Independent Electoral Commission.
The following are facts about Mr Vuma Glenton Mashinini noted by the panel led by the Chief Justice:
Mr Vuma Glenton Mashinini is the former Deputy Chief Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission during the period 1998 to 2001. During his tenure he was instrumental in the establishment of key systems in the Electoral Commission. He has valuable institutional memory, which will assist him in dealing with any challenges that the commission will be faced with. He is a strong administrator and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in electoral matters, which is borne out by his successful implementation of the e-voting system in Nigeria. He has assisted in the running of free and fair elections in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Swaziland and Angola.
Those are the facts that are contained in the report of the Chief Justice.
Given the fact that we are filling a full-time vacancy and preparations for the 2016 local government elections are under way, we need a commissioner who will hit the ground running. Mr Mashinini is seen as an appropriate person for this post, as he is available and prefers to serve on a full-time basis.
The panel of the Chief Justice had this to say of Mr Mashinini, and I quote:
He will be an excellent commissioner of the electoral commission.
I therefore present our report and request the House to agree to it. I thank you. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What are you rising on, hon member?
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: It is just to let you know that we would like to make a declaration on the matter.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Okay. Yes, hon member.
Mr M Q NDLOZI: Hon Deputy Speaker, we would like your direction and advice. We were part of the committee and in our conversations there we could not find one other on the name that was proposed.
I would like to persuade the ruling party and the House that the matter must actually go back to the committee ... [Interjections.] ... because of the recent developments in the IEC, which have meant that there are no longer women representatives. We need to go back and look again at all those names that we were given in the interests of a gender balance in the commission. It is persuasion with your direction, hon Deputy Speaker, ...
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Let me respond to you, sir.
Mr M Q NDLOZI: ... so that we can at least find one other and build consensus. This name is going to divide us in a huge way, and it will dent the integrity of the IEC once more.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, take your seat. Hon members, we are now at the stage where we should indicate yea or nay, and a declaration has been called for. The process now suggested should have happened before the matter came before the House. We can’t change the matter at this stage.
Will those who would like to make declarations please proceed?
Mr M H HOOSEN
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
|
Declarations of vote:
Mr M H HOOSEN: Deputy Speaker, the DA vehemently opposes this report and its recommendation to appoint Vuma Glenton Mashinini, a known ally of and personal adviser to President Jacob Zuma, as one of the IEC commissioners.
At last week’s Home Affairs Portfolio Committee meeting the ANC used its majority to bulldoze Mashinini’s candidacy through the review process. [Interjections.] Mashinini’s close relationship with the President presents a clear conflict of interest that renders him unsuitable to hold office in a Chapter 9 institution charged with the carrying out of free and fair elections and remaining politically independent.
Deputy Speaker, the ideal candidate is one who is independent and commands the respect of all political parties in this House, and not just the ANC. [Applause.]
Let examine for a minute what his CV says about his independence. According to his CV, he was actively involved with the ANC abroad; he was actively involved in the ANC’s political campaigns; he participated in the ANC alliance delegations; and he was an ANC provincial organiser, as well as an ANC spokesperson. [Applause.]
I ask you, Deputy Speaker: Is this an ANC that bothers about democracy in South Africa, or about protecting their President?
The IEC is one of South Africa’s constitutional cornerstones and Mashinini’s recommendation flies directly in the face of the institution’s principles. [Interjections.]
It is also worth noting that currently the board is all male, and the ANC, which would prefer to protect the President rather than our democratic institutions, dismissed a string of suitable and impartial female candidates that would have brought much needed skills, experience and gender equity to the board. [Interjections.]
The chairpersonship of this institution must be held by someone who is beyond reproach and capable of fairly and effectively running an organisation that manages multimillion rand budgets and the electoral credibility of our country.
The DA does not believe that Mr Mashinini is a suitable candidate and strongly urges this House not to support this recommendation. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms H O MAXON
Mr M H HOOSEN
|
Ms H O MAXON: Deputy Speaker, at the committee level we rejected the appointment of President Zuma’s adviser. We are saying that this is a political appointment. It is clear daylight robbery.
The EFF is a Marxist-Leninist Fanonian organisation, whose ideology is very clear on gender issues. [Interjections.] The former IEC chairperson was a woman. She can’t be replaced by a man and the EFF be expected to sell the gender struggle, while we have capable women in our land. It can’t be – not in our name.
The only remaining woman commissioner, Ms Taljaard, has resigned from the IEC. That must tell you that something is wrong in the IEC. There is no woman left in the IEC at the moment. It is not in the best interests of the gender struggle to have a male replacing a woman. It is an insult, in short.
It is also not in the best interests of free and fair elections for such a body to be led by a person with a close and intimate relationship with the president of the ruling party, which wants to cling to power, no matter what. The EFF rejects this. Forward with the gender struggle! [Applause.]
Ms S J NKOMO
Ms H O MAXON
|
Ms S J NKOMO: Deputy Speaker, the IFP would like to state that we received the eight CVs which were referred to us by the Chief Justice. The ANC moved that Mr Glen Mashinini be appointed. He has a CV which shows the extensive work that he has done in South Africa, as well as in other countries. It was a beautiful CV.
However, an individual who moves into the position of electoral commissioner needs to be a person who is nonpartisan and who is not actually a person that has been ... [Interjections.] He or she is moving into an independent function. This is a person ... [Interjections.] Of course, everything that I am stating was stated in the CV, so you just need to read that CV. [Interjections.]
Mr A M MPONTSHANE: Deputy Speaker.
Ms S J NKOMO: I would like to state ...
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, please take your seat.
Mr A M MPONTSHANE: Deputy Speaker, standing where I am, I cannot hear my own member speaking from the podium. [Interjections.] I can’t hear my own member speaking from there. Can you ask the House to ... [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, please allow hon Mpontshane to hear the member. [Interjections.] Order, hon members!
Ms S J NKOMO: Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker. It is also extremely worrying that the issue of the gender component was not expressed in a way that we were all comfortable with in our committee. This was also rushed – the whole matter was actually rushed.
Of course, we know that the ANC will vote Mr Mashinini in, but we are warning ourselves, as well as the country, that as that person has been working in the Presidency, and as the person is not an independent person, it will always look like he is a political deployee. Thank you, Deputy Speaker. [Applause.]
Dr P J GROENEWALD
Ms S J NKOMO
|
Afrikaans:
Dr P J GROENEWALD: Agb Adjunkspeaker, as ek na die agb lede van die ANC kyk wanneer die kwalifikasies van die benoemde uitgelees word, dan lyk hulle soos ’n juigkommando.
Ek wil vir u sê dat u mag dalk ’n juigkommando wees, maar u doen die demokrasie van Suid-Afrika ’n onreg aan. Die hoof van die verkiesingskommissie moet ’n man of ’n vrou wees wat bo verdenking is, want slegs ’n persoon wat bo verdenking is sal kan sê dat die basiese beginsels van demokrasie – waar die kieser vertroue in die verkiesingsproses sal hê – moet dan bo verdenking wees.
Dit is nie wat hier gebeur nie. Hier word ’n persoon aangestel wat nie bo verdenking is nie. In Potchefstroom het ons gesien dat die verkiesingskommissie se amptenare eindlik bedrog gepleeg het en dat daar hof toe gegaan moet word om dit reg te stel.
Ek wil vandag vir u sê dat die ANC die demokrasie van Suid-Afrika nie ’n guns met hierdie aanstelling doen nie, en die VF Plus sal dit nie ondersteun nie. [Applous.]
Ms D CARTER
Dr P J GROENEWALD
|
English:
Ms D CARTER: Deputy Speaker, Cope cannot support the appointment of the President’s personal adviser to the position of commissioner in the Independent Electoral Commission. As far as the IEC is concerned, we require free and fair elections in this country and we need an impeccable person to ensure that. So we cannot support it. I thank you.
Mr B A NESI
Ms D CARTER
|
Mr B A NESI: Hon Deputy Speaker, comrades and friends, we here today declare once more as the ANC that the South African colonial experience was based on the intersection of class, race and gender relations ... [Inaudible.] These distinctive social and biological features have been used in human history to exclude the press and stifle the progress of individuals and communities.
The struggle against colonialism of a special type sought to eliminate most of these manifestations of unequal social relations. It is documented throughout the principles and policies of the ANC – a gender question – how passionate we are in ensuring that we transform this society. [Applause.]
Those of us who today have chosen to be Marxists fail to understand a few things, and that the ANC chose one thing and one thing only.
IsiXhosa:
Sikhethe ukwenza ubuntu, ukuthanda isizwe, umanyano ngoba asinamona singenanzondo. Xa sisithi siza kuthatha umhlaba siwubuyisele kubantu abamnyama, asenziwa kukubamonela abelungu abangabanini bawo nababewuthathe ngendlela engafanelekanga. Ngelishwa ke umbutho we-EFF ukhethe ukuzenza oongqondo-ngqondo bento yonke.
English:
Nevertheless, incumbent on the distinctive figure ... [Inaudible.]
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Deputy Speaker, I really don’t think that we should be abused in this House.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What’s happening, hon member?
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Declarations are being made on whether we should appoint a deployee of the ANC or not. [Interjections.] The hon member there is not speaking about what we are talking about, but he is talking about something else.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Take your seat.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Can we please not be diverted from what we are busy with? [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Take your seat, hon member. I will address it.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: We sympathise but we should really not be abused like that. [Interjections.] Eish!
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Take your seat, hon member. Take your seat, hon member. Conclude your comments, sir.
Mr B A NESI: Hon Deputy Speaker, the ANC, without any fear, ...
IsiXhosa:
... siqesha uMashinini. Siyaqhuba.
English:
We are leading the country. [Interjections.] We are not sharing power with the DA and the EFF. The fact is that they have a passionate hatred of President Zuma, but we are not going to entertain that.
IsiXhosa:
Siza kubeka uMashinini bethanda bengathandi. [Kwaqhwatywa.] Siza kufane sinimamele nangona nisichithela ixesha, kodwa ukuba niyaqhubeka nisiqhela, siza kunibetha emzimbeni ngoku. [Kwahlekwa.]
English
Ms N V NQWENISO: Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, hon member. [Interjections.]
IsiXhosa:
Ms N V NQWENISO: Utata lo uthethayo ndicela arhoxise amazwi akhe. Akanakho ukuthi siyaqhubeka, siyamqhela kwaye baza kusibetha emzimbeni. Nathi siyasiva isiXhosa. Makarhoxise oko agqiba ukukuthetha kwaye acele uxolo. Asimqheli, yiNdlu le.
English:
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, please withdraw those words. [Interjections.]
IsiXhosa:
Mnu B A NESI: Makandixelele ukuba ukuqhela kuthetha ukuthini ngesiXhosa.
English:
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, ...
IsiXhosa:
... le nto yokuthi abantu uza kubabetha emzimbeni ayifanelekanga, yirhoxise.
English:
Mr B A NESI: Deputy Speaker, I will withdraw it because ...
IsiXhosa:
... kuba ndithatha ukuba isiXhosa akasazi.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Deputy Speaker, a proposal was put on the table here, noting that all political parties are objecting to the appointment of this person as an electoral commissioner ... [Interjections.] ... who is supposed to preside over elections for all of us on an equal platform. Can we appeal to you and the ruling party to develop some sense of wisdom and know that you can’t impose an electoral commissioner on all of us? [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member. Hon member, can I remind you ...
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: We don’t have a problem with a variety of other people that have been proposed, but we can’t do it through a vote, because we are going to vote now. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Shivambu!
An HON MEMBER: Deputy Speaker.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: You can’t impose an electoral commissioner ...
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Shivambu!
An HON MEMBER: As what is he speaking now?
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: ... on ... [Inaudible.] ... please.
An HON MEMBER: What is he speaking as?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, please do not speak before I recognise you. Hon member from the NFP, what are you rising on, sir?
Mr N M KHUBISA: Hon Deputy Speaker, I had my hand up long ago. I want to say that we don’t doubt that Mr Mashinini has impeccable credentials ...
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, did your party make a declaration?
Mr N M KHUBISA: Yes.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: If your party has made a declaration, what are you rising on, hon member?
Mr N M KHUBISA: I’m starting now.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Oh, you haven’t. All right.
Mr N M KHUBISA
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
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Mr N M KHUBISA: I’m saying that the IEC is a critical entity. Before, a woman was there as the chairperson, and for the sake of gender the NFP would say that we need a woman IEC chairperson. So, we object to Mr Mashinini’s becoming the chairperson. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
Mr N M KHUBISA
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The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, the House ... [Interjections.] What are you rising on, sir?
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Hon Deputy Speaker ... [Interjections.] ... I want to go on record as saying that Agang SA does not support this appointment. [Interjections.]
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker, as the question has not been put before the House as yet, the DA, given the views that have been expressed in the House today and the obvious importance of this position and how we fill it, would like to formally move:
That the matter be referred back to the committee for them to reconsider it. [Interjections.]
We move a reference back to the committee. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, the Chief Whip of the Opposition has moved a reference back. Is there anybody ... [Interjections.] Hon Chief Whip of the Majority Party?
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Hon Deputy Speaker, they can’t have their cake and eat it. They participated in declarations opposing this. It’s not the first time we have differed, and we will continue to differ. That is why we have the majority and the majority must prevail. It’s a democratic process. [Applause.]
Mr M Q NDLOZI: Hon Deputy Speaker, we want to address ourselves to the proposal that it must be referred back. I would like to say to the Chief Whip of the Majority Party that of the eight candidates whose names were forwarded to the committee ... [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, you can’t go back to the debate, please.
Mr M Q NDLOZI: I’m not going back to the debate, Deputy Speaker. Just give me a chance. [Interjections.] I’m saying that there are other capable candidates upon whom we can find consensus.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member! Hon member!
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Deputy Speaker, I have a point of order.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of order, hon Chief Whip?
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Deputy Speaker, they had an opportunity to make declarations. Now, you’re giving them a second chance at declarations.
Mr M Q NDLOZI: No, I’m addressing myself to the new proposal.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Chief Whip, you interrupted me while I was talking to him about the matter. Hon member, you can’t go back to the debate. The opportunity to move that this be referred back has been objected to. We are now putting the question to the House. All those who say, “Aye” ... [Interjections.]
HON MEMBERS: Aye!
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker, I moved a motion for reference back. I believe it’s apposite for you to put that to the House. I mean, we have heard that the Chief Whip of the Majority Party has opposed the reference back but, respectfully, I would say to you that the reference back has been moved and it should be put to the House. The House can decide. You have not put the official question yet, hon Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: All right. Hon members, the Chief Whip of the Majority Party has opposed it. Let me put it to the House. Those who agree to the reference back must say yes.
HON MEMBERS: Yes!
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Those who do not agree must say no.
HON MEMBERS: No!
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The noes have it. The motion to refer this back has been rejected.
Question put: That the nomination of Mr Vuma Glenton Mashinini to serve on the Electoral Commission be approved.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker, the DA calls for a division. [Applause.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, a division having been called for, the bells will be rung for three minutes. [Interjections.]
The House divided.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
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During division:
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Wait! Who is keeping the time? It is supposed to be three minutes. We have gone beyond three minutes now.
Hon members, the question that we must decide on is this. Yes, hon Minister. What are you rising on?
The MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Deputy Speaker, on a point of order: Before you proceed, I would like to ask that you indicate to us in terms of which Rule this matter that we are now dividing on has been tabled.
There is no provision for a referral or whatever the member referred to it as. There is provision for a motion which is written and presented prior to noon as a motion to be debated.
Also, if a motion is put and it is requested that a decision be made on the day on which it is put, there must be concurrence of the entire House that we should debate that matter or divide on it. I do not recall concurrence being sought, so I am not sure in terms of what Rule we are proceeding now. Could we please be guided by you?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, the Rule that might otherwise have allowed this matter to proceed is section 97, “Motions without notice”. I must point out that the situation changes because of the language used by the Chief Whip to request us to refer the matter back.
Let’s go to (c). Skip the first two. I quote:
Every motion requires notice, except a motion—
(c) for the postponement or discharge of, or giving precedence to, an order of the day;
Then there is “referring a Bill to a committee” in (d). This section refers to a Bill and we do not have a Bill. Moreover, the Chief Whip did not ask for postponement. He asked us to refer this back.
So, in both of them you could interpret it differently. As far as postponement or discharge is concerned, if I were to allow it, hon Minister, it would be on the basis of postponement. That would be the only reason, if I were to allow it. The referral, or postponement, is one way of doing it and that would be the basis on which we would allow it. [Applause.]
Dr P J GROENEWALD: Hon Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes.
Dr P J GROENEWALD: Hon Deputy Speaker, can I ask you a question?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ask your question.
Dr P J GROENEWALD: Are you confused or not? [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, I have been asked a question and we always consult, literally in public, in front of your eyes. I want to suggest that in asking that question you are confused.
Hon members, the member has not offered a reformulation of this matter so that the language fits with the Rules as stated here. Therefore, we are going to do what we indicated earlier on – put the question regarding the matter before the House. So, hon Chief Whip of the Opposition, that is the decision that we have made now. [Interjections.]
An HON MEMBER: [Inaudible.] ... which matter.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: That matter was dealt with earlier on and was not accepted. So, the question we are going to be putting to the House now is the original matter before the House. [Interjections.]
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: [Inaudible.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, go ahead. Go ahead.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Obviously, the red phone from Luthuli House has been ringing off the hook. [Interjections.] If that is the case, I will then, in terms of Rule 76, request you to postpone this decision.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, what about Rule 76?
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker, Rule 76 gives you the power to postpone this decision.
I want to say that the important point is that we are not, you know, filling a vacancy in the Tiddlywinks Committee here. This is a commissioner of the IEC, and it should be somebody who has broad appeal across all political parties. We are going to undermine the credibility of that person if we proceed in this House in the way we have done today.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, why do you refer me to Rule 76 when I have given you my opinion? [Interjections.]
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker, I am respecting your ...
Dr M S MOTSHEKGA: Point of order!
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Can I finish?
Dr M S MOTSHEKGA: Point of order! Point of order!
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: You can’t take a point of order on a point of order.
Dr M S MOTSHEKGA: Point of order! [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon members, can you take your seats? I am speaking to the Chief Whip of the Opposition here. [Interjections.]
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker, I am respecting the ruling that you made earlier about the reference back. However, I am saying to you that in terms of Rule 76 you are empowered to postpone this decision, once this debate has been concluded. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: And I am asking you to please, given the seriousness of the matter and the very partisan manner in which it has been dealt with, postpone this decision for further engagement as political parties.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, you are delegating to me a decision that the House has effectively already made here. [Interjections.] No, let me explain to you. Hon member, the reason why we give each of you the opportunity to make a declaration is that we then hear what your view on the matter is, and you have expressed your views on that matter. I put it to the House to indicate its views on the matter of reference.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Shivambu, what are you rising on?
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Deputy Speaker, a very sincere request is being made. All political parties, except the ruling party, are objecting to the appointment of this person as an electoral commissioner. We are saying we should utilise the Rules to postpone this question and try to build consensus.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Okay.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: It is not impossible for us to have a sense of common ground on the people who should be in the Electoral Commission. Let us allow that political engagement.
We don’t want to work in a narrow way within the framework that you want to impose on us now. Can we deal with this question on a different platform after there have been engagements on what the common ground should be with regard to the people who should preside over elections, the outcomes of which all of us have to accept. It is a sincere request that we are putting to you.
If it is difficult to take a decision from that Chair, consult the political leadership and then come back to us and say that we can do this in a different manner.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Okay.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Not in the manner in which you want to do it now.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: All right.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: It is a sincere request.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, take your seat, hon member.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
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The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Deputy Speaker, I would just like to enforce something with you. You made a ruling in regard to Rule 97(a) – you don’t want to proceed in that manner. What I am saying to you is that we have a way of pulling this away from the brink by using Rule 76. I need you to make a ruling on that.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: All right. Hon members, on the advice of the Chief Whip of the Opposition, I have now made up my mind on the House’s earlier view that this matter must be debated and discussed here. The matter will now proceed to its next stage so that each member in the House expresses his or her view on this matter. That decision will be made by the House, not by the presiding officer here.
I now put the Question to the House. Hon member, we are going to the original motion before the House. Will you listen to me? Please, hon ...
Mr J J MCGLUWA: Hon Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What are you rising on, hon member?
Mr J J MCGLUWA: May I address you?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, address me, hon member.
Mr J J MCGLUWA: Deputy Speaker, it was once said that a fool elected by a fool will be led by a fool, but the biggest fool is the fool who elected that fool. [Interjections.] I am appealing to you, Deputy Speaker, not to fall within that category but to rule in a proper fashion here.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, I notice that the heat in the House is overcoming you. With respect, hon members, let’s also remind you that we need to proceed with the Question before the House. [Interjections.] I want to plead with you not to place before us an obstacle to running the House. The Question before the House is that Mr Mashinini ...
The MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION: Deputy Speaker, I have a point of order.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of order, sir?
The MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION: The hon member must withdraw what he said, that the people are sitting here as fools to try to elect a fool. It is not correct. He has to withdraw it.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes. Take your seat, hon member. Hon McGluwa, what do you say to that request? [Interjections.]
Mr J J MCGLUWA: Deputy Speaker, I said, “It was once said that a fool elected by a fool will be led by a fool, but the biggest fool is the fool who elected that fool.” [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon member, and this is your reference to hon members. Do you think we must accept that?
Mr J J MCGLUWA: No. I ...
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: So, withdraw that if you say no.
Mr J J MCGLUWA: No, I was asking you, Deputy Speaker, ...
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just withdraw it.
Mr J J MCGLUWA: No, I asked you not to fall within that category.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just withdraw it.
Mr J J MCGLUWA: I never said that anyone was a fool here.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just withdraw it.
Mr J J MCGLUWA: I never said anyone was a fool. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just withdraw it. All right, hon member. I name you. Hon McGluwa, I name you.
Hon members, we will now put the Question before the House. [Interjections.] Hon members, order! Hon members, you will be orderly. We will proceed with the business of the House. [Interjections.] Please do not act on behalf of the Chair until we finish this business. You will act on behalf of the Chair once the Chair is not here. For now, the Question before the House is that Mr Mashinini be appointed the Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission, as recommended.
HON MEMBERS: No! [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Those who ...
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Hon Deputy Speaker.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Chief Whip?
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Can I correct you please?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, no. Hon member, I am being given guidance right now. Can I just get that guidance?
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: I want to correct the guidance you have just given us now. Please.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, that is what is being done, hon Chief Whip. Please.
Question put: That the nomination of Mr Vuma Glenton Mashinini to serve on the Electoral Commission be approved.
Division demanded.
The House divided.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
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The DEPUTY SPEAKER: We would like to remind members that they may only vote from their allocated seats.
[TAKE IN FROM MINUTES.]
Question agreed to.
Nomination of Mr Vuma Glenton Mashinini accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 6(2)(c) of the Electoral Commission Act, 1996.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA
The DEPUTY SPEAKER
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MOTION OF NO CONFIDENCE IN PRESIDENT ZUMA
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Deputy Speaker, the motion printed in my name on the Order Paper is as follows:
(1) notes that during the tenure of President Jacob Zuma as President of the Republic of South Africa—
(a) economic growth has fallen to around 1,4%;
(b) more and more South Africans are constantly and increasingly falling victim to violent crimes;
(c) corruption has been established in South Africa as a constant; and
(d) the promotion of the unity of the nation has been seriously compromised; and
(2) in terms of section 102(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 and Rule 102A of the Rules of the National Assembly, passes a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma.
The Deputy Chief Justice has said that in the first instance the Assembly is elected to represent the people and to ensure government by the people under the Constitution. [Interjections.]
A motion of no confidence in the President is a vital tool to advance our democratic hygiene. It affords the Assembly a vital duty and power to scrutinise and oversee executive action. This shows that the Constitutional Court recognises the supreme importance of motions of no confidence in the executive as the most powerful tools of parliamentary oversight.
Since this is so, it is very important that, when voting on a motion of no confidence in the President, members of the National Assembly, including members who represent the majority party, should vote according to the dictates of their conscience. [Interjections.] That is why a motion of no confidence must be voted upon by way of a secret ballot. [Interjections.]
The ruling party has betrayed its liberation movement traditions and now rules more by fear and patronage than by consent, but I am convinced that there are enough hon members who represent the governing party who share our distress at how the President has shamed the liberation movement, shamed the country and shamed all of its people. [Interjections.] I believe that they would vote with the minority parties to adopt a motion of no confidence in the President if voting took place by secret ballot. It is a pity, therefore, that the Speaker has turned down Agang’s request for such a vote to be taken by way of a secret ballot.
The Supreme Court of Appeal has heard that the Speaker is required by the duties of her office to exercise and display the impartiality of a judge. Of course, the President will not enjoy the confidence of opposition parties, but the Speaker must enjoy the confidence of every member in this House, for the Speaker is not the Speaker of the ANC; she’s the speaker of Parliament. She is, or should be, the Speaker of us all.
We have all been witnessing the unthinkable over the last few months. This Chamber should be a bastion of decorum, where the people’s chosen representatives gather to debate the affairs of the nation and to make its laws. There should be, on the one hand, the utmost respect for the authority of the presiding officers and, on the other, unwavering impartiality on their part. But this House has descended into chaos.
Our new democracy was a light to the world. We had overcome centuries of colonialism and apartheid. This institution was, until 1994, the stifled, oppressive seat of domination of a single, racist party. It hosted the barest pretext of democracy – a cynical mockery of popular representation.
Then, overnight, this was transformed into a Chamber that drew the admiration of the world. People came from every corner of the globe to witness the workings of a nonracial, nonsexist republic of freedom.
It is an unspeakable tragedy that we seem to be reverting to what this House was in the grim years of apartheid – a hollow sham of democratic gestures, form without substance, words without meaning, ritual without integrity.
We must lead by example, but we have taught the worst possible lesson to an audience on live television. Our people, day after day, witness their elected leaders abandoning all decency, mutual respect, and honour.
It is the Speaker’s sacred responsibility to hold this House to the highest standards of democracy. Instead of doing so, she has descended into muddy trenches.
What will happen if this paralysis, caused in no small measure by the President, endures for too long? What will happen? What will happen if the National Assembly is frustrated and cut off from fulfilling its constitutional role for too long?
Democracy is a fragile thing. I fear that the habits and practices of lively debate – challenging, but respecting differences – that characterised our postliberation rainbow Parliament, may whither and die on the vine, never to stir again.
If that happens, history may record that the Speaker presided over the funeral.
The danger is that Parliament will have become twisted and torn too far, wounded and damaged too badly, and gone down the road of chaos so far that it will be unable to turn back. Also, a legislature that has torn itself apart and, in the process, rendered itself incapable of fulfilling its oversight role, particularly in respect of the executive, invites executive intervention and takeover.
So this debate is set against the backdrop of no less than three High Court applications arising out of the disgraceful scrambling of cellphone signals and the invasion of these hallowed halls by armed plainclothes police.
And now Agang, the UDM and Cope are jointly seeking an order against the Speaker to have her declared unfit to hold the position of Speaker. At the very least, she should not preside over debates on motions of no confidence. [Interjections.]
In the same court case an order will also be sought that a vote on a motion of no confidence should take place by secret ballot, in order to allow members to vote according to their conscience and not according to the dictates of Luthuli House.
This court application was necessitated, firstly, by the Speaker’s refusal to recuse herself from presiding over this debate and, secondly, by the fact that she indicated in advance, without hearing the arguments, that she would not allow voting to take place by way of secret ballot.
In our court case we maintain that the Speaker has strayed from the rule of law and the time-honoured conventions which apply to her position – those of impartiality, even-handedness, fairness and discernment. She is like a judge who has become a prosecutor.
Agang, the UDM and Cope are asking the court to take the first step along the road to the restoration and recovery of Parliament’s dignity and the nation’s respect for it.
We are respectfully asking the court to remind the Speaker that she is not above the law and that she should abide by the rules of law which govern ...
The MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM: Hon Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
The SPEAKER: Yes, hon Nkwinti. What is your point of order?
The MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM: We have been made to understand that a motion of no confidence in the President of the Republic will be put this afternoon. The hon member who is supposed to put the motion is talking about the Speaker. We think he is confused, hon Speaker. [Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: Hon Plouamma, in taking the matter out of the court, the ruling of the court dealt with the issue of the recusal of the Speaker and the issue of voting by secret ballot. I think that enabled us to get on with the motion on the Order Paper in your name, hon member.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Hon Speaker, I just want to cut the matter short. For all these reasons, Madam Speaker, I respectfully ask you again whether you are prepared to recuse yourself from presiding over this debate. [Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: Hon Plouamma, I am presiding.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: I guess that is a no.
The SPEAKER: That issue has been decided. I am presiding and I have no intention of recusing myself. Hon member, you are free to address the motion on the Order Paper as put by yourself.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: In that case, Madam Speaker, I decline to move the motion that is printed in my name on the Order Paper. I withdraw it. [Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: The hon Radebe.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Hon Speaker, I have a point of order.
The SPEAKER: Hon Plouamma, you are no longer at the podium. I don’t see how you think you can play games with the House. You put a motion. The House is ready to handle it. Everybody on the speakers’ list is here. Please go and take your seat, hon Plouamma. [Interjections.]
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Hon Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I am not playing games. [Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: Hon Plouamma, please go and take your seat.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Can’t I raise my point of order?
The SPEAKER: We will do our own work from this Chair with the assistance of the Table.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Can I ...
The SPEAKER: I request you to go and take your seat.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Hon Speaker, all I’m saying is: Let me read my point of order and you can rule on it. [Interjections.] Then I will go to my seat. [Interjections.] All I’m asking is for you to allow me to read my point of order. You can then rule on it, and I will take my seat. [Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: Hon Plouamma, you do not know for how long you have been dragging us, the various parties, around on this matter of your motion.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Hon Speaker, you speak as if you are blackmailing me now ... [Interjections.] ... because now you are saying that I have been dragging people around. Is that not blackmail? [Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: Hon Plouamma, what this Chair and the Table are doing now is considering the situation that you have put us in. That is the situation of putting a motion on the Order Paper, and then saying you decline to move it.
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: All I’m saying ... [Interjections.] Hon Speaker, I have asked you a question. I asked you whether you would allow a secret ballot. You said no. I therefore said that on the basis of your answer, I withdrew this motion because that was the condition of the motion. [Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: Hon Plouamma, please go and take your seat. Let us just have our own consultation here. [Interjections.]
Mr M A PLOUAMMA: Thank you. [Interjections.]
Mr M S MBATHA
Mr M A PLOUAMMA
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An HON MEMBER: Coward! [Interjections.]
Mr M S MBATHA: Hon Speaker. [Interjections.] Hon Speaker. [Interjections.] Hon Speaker, can you please call security for that group over there. [Laughter.] [Interjections.] We need security now. [Interjections.]
Mr M WATERS: Madam Speaker! Madam Speaker! Hallo! [Laughter.] [Interjections.] Madam Speaker. Thank you. Madam Speaker, should I come there? [Applause.] [Interjections.] [Laughter.]
Mr M Q NDLOZI: Hon Speaker, can you also call me. [Laughter.] I am interested. [Laughter.]
The SPEAKER: Order, hon members! During the period when we were conferring, I heard somebody saying – and apparently they were saying it to the hon member of AgangSA – “Coward!” Apparently that hon member has since left the Chamber. So, we will have to engage with the hon member when they are back in the Chamber. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
HON MEMBERS: Here she is. Here she is. [Laughter.]
The SPEAKER: I have been informed that the hon member who has just entered the House shouted to the hon AgangSA member, “Coward!” I am very grateful because the hon member is just getting up. I was wondering whether this was reliable information, that it was her. Hon member?
Ms M P CHUEU: Speaker, I don’t know what you are talking about because I did not say anything. [Interjections.] What did I say? I am surprised that ... [Interjections.] ...
The SPEAKER: Okay, because I will ... [Interjections.]
Ms M P CHUEU: ... you are saying that I said, “Coward.” [Interjections.] What should I withdraw? It is not me who said that word. [Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: All right, hon member. [Interjections.]
Ms M P CHUEU: I don’t know. I was seated here and that is why I am puzzled ... [Interjections.]
The SPEAKER: It’s okay. Hon member, take your seat; we will then deal with this issue outside and not here.
We now have a motion that was put before us to deal with. I now recognise the Chief Whip of the Majority Party in that regard.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY
The SPEAKER
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The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Hon Speaker, in line with Rule 102, any member who moves a motion can, without notice, withdraw the motion after consultation with other parties. We have agreed that he has a right to withdraw it, but that right has been abused because we had all agreed that we would debate the motion. Because he has decided to withdraw it in a malicious way, we do not have any topic to debate, and therefore the motion is off the table.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY
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The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: Madam Speaker, we did confer outside and we concur with the interpretation of the Rules.
I want to say, however, that these sorts of constitutional motions are not motions that must be entered into lightly or trifled with. They are serious motions and have serious implications.
When this sort of thing happens, it actually undermines our ability as Members of Parliament to hold the executive to account properly, and for them to take us seriously when we actually perform our functions.
I had arranged for a number of my members to speak. We called this a three-line whip today and we had some great speakers lined up. However, so be it – the motion has fallen away. We will be back another day. Thank you.
Mr N F SHIVAMBU
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The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION
Mr N F SHIVAMBU: Speaker, indeed we did agree that now that the AgangSA representative has withdrawn the motion, there is no need to debate it.
However, he must really stop playing games. We are serious here. We don’t want to be playing games. We are an opposition and, yes, we want the motion of no confidence in President Zuma. However, playing games will not assist the House. We don’t want AgangSA to play games. They must dissolve and maybe go and do something else and stop wasting our time. [Laughter.]
The SPEAKER: I am aware that some hon members are itching to say something, but I have recognised the Chief Whips of the three biggest parties. In fact, we are agreed that the motion is off the table and therefore ... [Interjections.] The IFP wants to say something and the NFP.
Mr A M MPONTSHANE
The SPEAKER
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Mr A M MPONTSHANE: Madam Speaker, we are indeed one of the biggest parties in the House ... [Interjections.] [Laughter.] The IFP aligns itself with the proposal that the motion falls away and that there is, in fact, nothing to debate.
Having said that, Speaker, let me say that we spent quite a long time preparing to debate this motion. I request that next time our time is not wasted in this manner by any party, and that they should warn us in time if they want to withdraw a motion. Thank you.
Mr N M KHUBISA
Mr A M MPONTSHANE
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Mr N M KHUBISA: Speaker, I am sure that in future all those people will be generous enough to refer to all parties, because we were also consulted.
Be that as it may, we want to concur with the fact that the mover has withdrawn the motion and, as that is the case, we have nothing on the table to be discussed. However, this was a critical matter and we would have discussed some critical and very pertinent issues. In future, he must put the motion and we will debate it.
Dr P J GROENEWALD
Mr N M KHUBISA
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Afrikaans:
Dr P J GROENEWALD: Agb Speaker, die standpunt van die FF Plus op hierdie aangeleentheid is dat dit die taak van hierdie Huis is om die uitvoerende gesag tot verantwoording te roep. Maar daar is ook ’n plig en ’n verantwoordelikheid op agb lede van hierdie Huis om verantwoordelik op te tree as hulle die uitvoerende gesag tot verantwoording wil roep.
Ek dink dit is onverantwoordelik van ’n agb lid om ’n mosie te stel, en dan hier by die podium te kom, en dan skielik die mosie te onttrek. Dit is nie die regte manier om die uitvoerende gesag tot verantwoording te roep nie. Daarvoor is die Reëls is daar.
Ons sal dan aanvaar dat die mosie van die tafel is. Maar ons doen ’n beroep of agb lede dat hulle verantwoordelik moet optree, want hierdie is nie ’n kinderhuis of ’n plek waar ons soos kindertjies kan speel met die Reëls wat ons moet gebruik om die uitvoerende gesag tot verantwoording te roep nie. [Applous.]
Mr S N SWART
Dr P J GROENEWALD
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Mr N S SWART: Speaker, we in the smaller parties are placed in a very difficult position when there are a lot of motions and debates on the Order Paper.
I spent a lot of time preparing for this debate, and I had some nice things to say about the President and some not so nice things. I want to share the sentiments of other speakers and express our regret that the motion was withdrawn at such a late stage. I sat up late preparing for it, especially considering I had some other commitments as well. I think we need to take it very seriously when we have motions like this. Thank you.
Mr N T GODI
Mr S N SWART
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Mr N T GODI: Speaker, I think, as an addition to what other members have said, I would like to say that it would be a useful lesson for us to ask ourselves how we factor in the Rules and safeguarding mechanisms so that we don’t have come to this again. [Applause.]
The SPEAKER: Thank you, hon Godi. Hon members, I really believe that we have come to the end of expressing ourselves on this matter, which was the last business of the House today. I would like us to agree to adjourn the House. [Applause.]
The House adjourned at 16:53.
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