Hon Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move:
That the Council -
(1) notes that on 27 October 2009, the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the hon Shiceka, informed this House that he had found some destitute households without water and proper sanitation in the Western Cape;
2) further notes that some of these households had their water supply cut, were constantly harassed and threatened with letters of demand simply because they were poor and unable to pay for their constitutionally enshrined right to water;
(3) further notes that-
(a) during the debate on the annual address by the President on 29 October 2009, the Premier of the Western Cape, the hon Zille, persistently denied that the City of Cape Town had cut the water supply to several households across the Cape Town Metro and challenged the Minister to investigate this issue further so that the DA-led municipality could be absolved; and
(b) that Minister Shiceka has since established a task team to investigate water cuts and other related claims in the metro;
4) takes this opportunity to condemn in the strongest possible terms the Mayor of Cape Town, Dan Plato, for threatening legal action against the Minister;
5) calls upon all the people of the metro who had their water supply cut and who were persistently harassed by the City of Cape Town to take part in this important initiative and submit any information that will enhance our government's fight against the victimisation of the poor and the violation of their constitutionally enshrined rights;
(6) further calls on the Minister to ensure that the report of the task team is tabled in this House for debate and further consideration by the relevant committee of the Council, in line with our mandate to represent and protect the interests of the people in the provinces.
Madam Chair, on a point of order: I ask you to give a ruling on the validity of that motion. The Rules of this House state very clearly that a draft resolution may not be tabled in this House if, in substance, it is the same as a matter discussed in the House in the preceding six months.
Hon member, I'll look into the matter and respond later.
Hon House Chairperson, I shall move at the next sitting of the House:
That the Council -
1) notes that Unicef South Africa has released the 2008 Unicef South Africa Annual Report, which outlines the challenges and achievements of the past year;
2) further notes that -
a) the results reflected in this report indicate maximum co- operation between the government of South Africa, UN sister agencies, bilateral organisations and civil society organisations, including private sector, media, academic institutions and child rights organisations; and
b) the report shows that South Africa has made significant progress towards the realisation of children's rights but much remains to be done; and
3) welcomes the publication on "Testimonies on Child Friendly Schools" from the field in which participants share experiences on the positive impact of the friendly schools programme in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal; and
4) resolves to continue supporting Unicef South Africa, particularly this year, 2009, which is the year in which Unicef South Africa celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
House Chair, I shall move on the next sitting day of the House, on behalf of Cope:
That the Council debates Judge Siraj Desai's acceptance, as the chairman of a prisons advisory body, that public confidence in the parole system has been dented with a number of recent paroles and particularly with the release, on medical parole, of convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik.
Chair, I shall move on the next sitting day of the House, on behalf of Cope:
That the Council -
1) abhors what is happening in Ward 14 of Ditsobotla Municipality in the North West Province, where the village water pump is being denied to some members of the village who are in disfavour with the nominated keeper of the pump; and
(2) requests a debate on the use of common government property for the benefit of all irrespective of personal differences.