Report on Oversight Visit to the Western Cape

Meeting report

Report on Oversight Visit to the Western Cape
The Chairperson invited Members to comment and make amendments where appropriate to the report.

Mr Van Der Berg (DA) advised the Committee to write a letter to the Afrikaans Taal Museum to point out the need to address the issue of a lack of funds.

Ms L Moss (ANC) suggested that the Committee should meet with its Tourism counterpart and try to thrash out whatever problems that might hinder the entities like Robben Island and the Afrikaans Taal Museum not to carry out their mandates.

Mr D Mavunda (ANC) highlighted the need to insert the year “2011” before the word “September” on page 6. He said the Committee Secretary should have indicated the year clearly.

Ms F Mushwana (ANC) pointed out that the first page was supposed to have been written “Draft Report. She then suggested that the report be adopted.

Ms Moss mentioned that she could not recall the Honorable Mr Mandla Mandela issue with the parliamentary village.

The Chairperson explained that it would not be politically correct for the Committee to discuss the issue that was between the Mr Mandela and the parliamentary village. She then proposed that the Committee should write a letter to the village. She would then take up the issue after the letter had been written. His complaint on the issue was with the village, and it was not part of the oversight visit.

Findings
Mr P Ntshiqela (COPE) referred to page 3 and urged the Committee to review of the organisational structure of Robben Island Museum

Mr Ntshiqela referred to page 6, the fifth paragraph from the bottom, and suggested that the Committee should do a follow up on the Sponsor a Bus Project.

The Chairperson concurred with Mr Ntshiqela.

Recommendations
Mr Mavunda pointed to recommendation 6.5 and explained that it should be rephrased. Tourists came from all over the world to visit the museum. He then asked a rhetorical question saying that the “ how far was the City of Cape Town willing to work with the Departments of Arts and Culture, Public Works and the Department of Tourism. The school on the Island was not funded; therefore the Department of Basic Education should be involved. The Cape Town City Council should take care of the clinic. Parliament should be involved so as to ensure that the Robben Island Museum was properly rehabilitated

Ms Mushwana suggested that the Committee must look at the annual report of the Department and assess how far the recommendations were addressed.

Mr Ntshiqela moved for the adoption of the report and Ms Moss seconded the motion.

The oversight visit report was adopted.

Any other business
The Chairperson said that there was lot of overlapping between the Portfolio Committee on Tourism and the Committee- both Committees should therefore try and work together on those issues.

The Chairperson said that there might be corruption with regards with the Lotto Funds and the Department of Trade and Industry. In addition, she informed Members that the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education needed to meet with the Committee about the lack of film and cinema courses at South African Universities. Private institutions were charging up to R100 000 a year to study filmmaking.

The Chairperson further stated that some people were abusing the cultural tradition of ukuthwala where under age young girls were abducted at an early age to be married to older men. The Committee should meet with Traditional Leaders, and the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and People with Disabilities to try and sort out the issue.

Newly circumcised young men in the Free State were having sexual relations with older woman because they believed that women in their age group would be getting bad luck from the circumcision school.

Members asked for progress on the proposed study tour to Malaysia.

Mr Johny Van Der Westhuizen, Acting Committee Secretary, replied that the House Chairperson had indicated that April was busy with budget votes. Instead, the Committee could travel during March, as time was allocated to Committees to do their business.  The Malaysian Government had agreed to host the Committee during the proposed visit.

The Chairperson said that she would do follow up with the House Chairperson regarding the study tour. She added that the adopted report would be submitted to the House.

The Chairperson expressed concern about the bad treatment the Committee had received from the Department concerning complimentary tickets for the Annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Some Members of Parliament would even go to the extent of hosting six guests at the expense of others. She felt strongly that Members of the Committee should be a priority. She went on to suggest that the Committee should raise those issues in the following meeting

The Chairperson informed Members about her problems with Mr Lusanda Myoli- the former Committee Secretary. She believed that his work was unsatisfactory and had reported the matter to the House Speaker. Mr Myoli was removed from the Committee in the interim but had won the case and was reinstated. Mr Myoli was also rejected by the NCOP for his shoddy work. The Chairperson said that she would not allow the reinstatement, saying that it would “happen over her dead body”.

Mr Ntshiqela thanked the Committee support staff for keeping Members up to date.

The meeting was adjourned.