Election of Chairperson

Meeting report

The Committee Secretary, acting as Chairperson, welcomed the Committee and introduced herself. She explained that her role was to ensure the election of a Committee Chairperson was conducted. She assured Ms C Labuschagne (DA, Western Cape) that her concerns raised at the meeting of the Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources and Energy, had been noted and would apply to the current sitting. Rule 91 stipulated that in the absence of a Chairperson of the Committee, the Committee had to elect one of its members as its Chairperson.

The procedure would be as follows:

• Nominations would be called from the floor.
• The nomination would require a seconder.
• Once a person had seconded the nomination, the nominee would then be asked whether he or she accepted the nomination.
• After the nomination was accepted, provinces would then vote to accept that nomination in accordance with National Council of Provinces (NCOP) rule 155(2), which reads: When a question that does not fall under section 75 of the Constitution is to be decided,
• (a) Committee Members representing at least five provinces, or six provinces in the case of a constitutional amendment, must be present; and
• (b), the question is decided by the supporting vote of at least five provinces, or six provinces in the case of a constitutional amendment.
• Therefore, the election of the Chairperson would be done in accordance with section 76 rules of the NCOP.

The Chairperson opened up the floor for nominations of a Chairperson for the Committee.

Discussion

Mr C Smit (DA, Limpopo) brought to the Chairperson’s attention that there were extra members who had joined the Committee proceedings, but were not part of the Committee. He sought clarification from the Chairperson as to why there were suddenly extra members present.

Mr A Nyambi (ANC, Mpumalanga) proposed to the Chairperson that the meeting be continued. No Members who were not allowed to, should participate in Committee proceedings. A list of Committee Members was known and had been made available.

The Acting Chairperson assured Mr Smit that there was no way that someone who was not a Committee Member would be allowed to participate in the proceedings for the election of a Chairperson.

Mr Smit said he would like to know which Members were “alternates,” and which were not.

The Chairperson said that the following were full Members:

• Mr I Ntsube (ANC, Free State)
• Ms W Ngwenya (ANC, Gauteng)
• Ms L Bebee (ANC, KwaZulu Natal)
• Ms M Mamaregane (ANC, Limpopo)
• Mr A Nyambi (ANC, North West)
• Ms T Modise (North West)
• Mr M Nhanha (DA, Eastern Cape)
• Ms C Labuschagne (DA, Western Cape)
• Mr C Smit (DA, Limpopo)
• Ms N Koni (EFF, Northern Cape)
• Mr A Arnolds (EFF, Western Cape)
• Mr A Cloete (Free State)

The following were alternate Members:

• Mr S Mohai (ANC, Free State)
• Mr M Dangor (ANC, Gauteng)
• Ms G Mahlangu (ANC, Mpumalanga)
• Mr M Nchabeleng (ANC, Limpopo)
• Mr E Landsman (ANC, North West)
• Ms C Visser (DA, North West)
• Mr J Londt (DA, Western Cape)
• Ms B Mathevula (EFF, Limpopo)
• Ms S Lehihi (EFF, Eastern Cape)

Election of Chairperson

The Acting Chairperson said that the issue of who were full and alternate Members had been settled. She once again explained the process and opened the floor for nominations.

Ms Bebee nominated Ms Mamaregane for the position of Chairperson.

Mr Nyambi seconded the nomination.

Ms Mamaregane accepted the nomination.

Mr Smit nominated Mr Nhanha.

Ms Labuschagne seconded the nomination.

Mr Nhanha accepted the nomination.

Ms Koni said that she, on behalf of the EFF, would be abstaining from voting. She recommended that for the sake of the Members voting, this should be done via a secret ballot to avoid ANC pressure on its fellow Members.

Starting off with the vote for the second nominee, Mr Nhanha was supported by Mr Smit, Ms Labuschagne and Mr Cloete. Mr Arnolds said that he wished to abstain from the vote.

Ms Labuschagne interjected, advising Mr Arnolds that the vote was being conducted according to the provinces. She was carrying the vote for the Western Cape, and therefore Mr Arnolds did not have the right to vote.

Ms Koni responded that it did not matter, as Mr Arnolds had merely stated that he would not be voting. It did not matter what Ms Labuschagne was trying to say, because the EFF was abstaining from the vote. 

Ms Labuschagne argued that Mr Arnolds wanted to vote, and she was merely stating that he did not need to put his abstinence on record, because he had no provincial vote. The EFF had stated that they were not voting, and in her opinion there was therefore a conflict in the EFF between Ms Koni and Mr Arnolds.

Ms Koni replied that it did not matter what Ms Labuschagne thought. Ms Koni had represented the EFF as a collective herself when she had stated that they would not be voting. She warned Ms Labuschagne not to refer to conflicts in the EFF and the EFF in general, as she had not mentioned the DA. She sarcastically offered Ms Labuschagne membership in the EFF.

The vote for the first nominee, Ms Mamaregane, was supported by Ms Bebee, Mr Ntsube, Ms Modise, Mr Nyambi and Ms Ngwenya.

The Acting Chairperson announced that Ms Mamaregane had been elected, and called on her to take her position as Chairperson.

Ms Mamaregane thanked all the Members who had voted and supported her. She added that the mandate of the Committee must never be forgotten, and that teamwork would make the Committee an effective and efficient one.

The meeting was adjourned.