Postponed: National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency SOC Limited Bill Deliberations

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed all present at the meeting and apologised for being late.

He asked everyone to observe a moment of silence for meditation or prayer.

Apologies were heard.

Postponement of meeting

Mr N Myburgh (DA) asked if the meeting could be rescheduled.

Ms R Mohlala (EFF) supported Mr Myburgh’s suggestion and said wasting the state’s resources should come to an end. The flights and shuttles Members took were state resources. If it was agreed that a physical meeting should take place, then Members must attend. It is an embarrassment of the highest order that most Members are absent. The Committee should have had the meeting on Zoom if Members could not make it.

The Chairperson appreciated the honesty of the request. He found it difficult to instruct some Members to be physically present.

Ms Mohlala said Members should not just assume that those Members who were not present tendered their apologies. She wanted to hear which Members sent apologies. She said she was also very busy, but she was at the airport at 4am in the morning to make it to the meeting.

The Chairperson said the apologies were noted already and if an apology was not mentioned for a Member who was absent, then an apology was not sent.

The Committee Secretary said one of the Members had a bereavement in the family, but she could not remember who this was.

The Chairperson said Mr L Basson (DA) said his wife was in hospital.

Mr Myburgh said some Members had circumstances beyond their control that prevented them from being physically present at the meeting. He said Mr S Moore (DA) (Alt) also had a mixture of personal and professional circumstances which prevented him from being physically present. He said the Committee needed to discuss arranging physical meetings as this was important. A lot more can be achieved when the Committee meets in-person. Members often get frustrated by technical challenges during virtual meetings and often have very unsatisfactory virtual meetings. He said this was quite frankly unprofessional in his view. This is an embarrassment and a waste of scarce resources.

The Chairperson said it was important to deliberate on a Bill in person.

He asked the delegation from the Department of Water and Sanitation to introduce themselves.

He thanked everyone in the meeting for their time and apologised profusely that the meeting would be postponed.

The Department asked if they could use the opportunity to have a working session with the Committee and take questions for consideration by the Committee.

The Chairperson said this was not possible as people may say personal things that would not be binding on the Committee, and this may be acted upon. He said the meeting did not have a quorum, so no other propositions could be made.

Ms G Tseke (ANC) proposed that a date be set for the meeting. She suggested that the Committee begin processing the Bill [National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency SOC Limited Bill] in the first or second week when the new term begins next year.

The Chairperson said the meeting was postponed to the first week of the next sitting.

Mr Myburgh asked for a new date for the meeting.

The Chairperson said the meeting should be scheduled for a date between the 26th and 30th January 2024.

Ms Mohlala said the Committee week started in the week of 30 January 2024.

The Chairperson said the nature of the meeting would be physical and it was just about when it would take place.

Ms Mohlala proposed that the meeting take place before the State of the Nation Address in 2024 as she believed the same thing would happen in January and the Committee would not have a quorum. She suggested that the meeting take place on 6 February 2024. The meeting could take place via Zoom if it was scheduled for 30 January 2024. She said the Chairperson should not abuse his power.

The Chairperson said he was not set on the date of the meeting, but having a physical meeting was non-negotiable. The Committee could not have a meeting on 7 February 2024 as this was scheduled for programmatic meetings of parties. 

Ms Mohlala asked why Members of the ANC were not present as she was called to be present today.

The Chairperson said this was already discussed.

Ms Mohlala said the dates she suggested were to prevent the Committee from not having a quorum.

The Chairperson said the date was not an issue, but the Bill should be finalised before the end of February 2024.

The Chairperson thanked all present in the meeting.

Meeting adjourned.