Agb Voorsitter, die Staatskoerant en die publikasie van die parlementre komitee het agb lede in kennis gestel van openbare verhore van die Portefeuljekomitee oor Openbare Werke, sonder om die aanvangstye of bymekaarkomplekke in die meeste gevalle aan te dui. Hierdie onaanvaarbare toestand is vererger deur die versuim om hierdie verhore in die plaaslike media te adverteer, kwansuis omdat daar nie daarvoor begroot is nie. In Bloemfontein is daar, byvoorbeeld, eers die dag voor die verhore, na veelvuldige navrae by sowel die wetgewer as die Mangaung-munisipaliteit, uiteindelik vasgestel dat 'n tent opgeslaan sal word in 'n deel van die stad, waar straatname nog nie aangebring is nie.
Eers nadat die hulp van die verkeersafdeling ingeroep is, kon goed georganiseerde deelnemers uiteindelik die plek vind, maar die plaaslike inwoners het eers teen die einde van die vergadering opgedaag of heeltemal die vergadering gemis. As gevolg van hierdie algemeen onbeholpenheid is een byeenkoms in die Transkei afgelas nadat slegs tien mense opgedaag het, terwyl 'n ander een gekanseleer is omdat die ANC lede deur die party aanges is om Kaapstad toe te reis vir 'n vergadering.
Hierdie gedrag van 'n portefeuljekomitee sou onder enige omstandighede skandalig wees, maar om so op te tree met die gevaarlike en aanvegbare Onteieningwetsontwerp, grens aan kriminaliteit. Hierdie voorgestelde wetsontwerp wat die grondwetlike eiendomsreg van elke enkele Suid-Afrikaner aantas, is selfs verwerp deur 'n ANC-leier, Jumat Petersen. Die DA het 'n parlementre ondersoek geloods na hierdie manier van openbare verhore in die geheim bedryf. Dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans member's statement follows.)
[Mr A J BOTHA (DA): Hon Chairperson, the Government Gazette and the parliamentary committee publication informed hon members of public hearings of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works without stipulating, in most cases, the starting times or meeting venues. This unacceptable situation was exacerbated by the failure to advertise these public hearings in the local media apparently because this had not been budgeted for.
In Bloemfontein, for example, after many enquiries to the legislature as well as the Mangaung Municipality, it was eventually established, only a day before the hearings, that a tent would be put up in a part of town where street names have not yet been put up.
Only after the traffic department had been called on for assistance, could well-organised participants eventually find the place, but the local residents only arrived towards the end of the meeting or did not show up at all. As a result of this general ineptness, one meeting in the Transkei had to be cancelled after only ten people turned up, whilst another had to be cancelled because ANC members were instructed by the party to travel to Cape Town for a meeting.
This behaviour of a portfolio committee would be disgraceful under any circumstances, but to behave in such a fashion with the dangerous and contentious Expropriation Bill, borders on criminality. This proposed Bill, that impacts on the constitutional property rights of every single South African, has even been rejected by an ANC leader, Jumat Petersen. The DA has launched a parliamentary inquiry into this manner of conducting public hearings in secret. Thank you.]