Chairperson, this Report is going to be even a shorter one. Chairperson, the Foreign Service Bill is very important for us as a country. Our international footprint, we owe it to Tata Madiba and to Mama Sisulu for the work they have done in terms of placing South Africa back on the international arena. We are no longer the pariah of the world. We are a democracy that is respected internationally. Chairperson, therefore the Foreign Service Bill was very important for us as the select committee because we are unanimous in our agreement that our foreign service needs to be professional. Our foreign service needs to promote the interest of our country, South Africa.
Chair, it is unfortunate that with all the submissions that we have received, including those from two departments of government, we deliberated very seriously as members of the select committee and arrived at a resolution, particularly of section 2 paragraph 2 of the Bill that was before us. We need to request the House to vote against the Bill with the understanding that what we are doing is to refer the Bill back to the National Assembly because we have to amend the Bill. Chair, our amendment on this Bill is that section 2 paragraph 2 as we have received the Bill from the National Assembly, should be deleted in its entirety. Thank you, Chairperson.
That concludes the debate. I shall now put the question and the question to get you quite right Ntate Makue is that the Bill not be agreed to.
Chairperson, the Bill has an amendment, therefore we cannot agree to it, but we are not rejecting the Bill. The Bill is important. We are amending it and requesting the authority - the permission to send it back to the National Assembly.
Debate concluded.
Voting
Question put: That the Bill not be agreed to.
Bill accordingly not agreed to.