Draft 1, 16 February 2005

PUBLIC ENTERPRISES PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE

DRAFT 2005 PROGRAMME

Towards More Effective Oversight

 

  1. Part of Overall Strategy and Ongoing Programme
    1. Our 2005 programme needs to be linked to our August 2004 programme "Towards Developing a Longer-Term Programme: Setting the Foundations" and our November 2004 "Report on Annual Reports of the Department of Public Enterprises and State-Owned Enterprises". Many of the items of the programme set out on pages 4 to 6 flow from the latter report.
    2. The November 2004 report, especially sections A, F and G, are particularly relevant to our 2005 programme. These sections deal with aspects of the overall strategy of the Committee - including a phased approach taking into account our capacity; building our technical and other capacity to play a more active role; taking a particular approach to evaluating annual reports (sections A5 and A7); co-operating with other relevant committees; and relating the portfolio work to the overall social transformation. Key aspects of our programme also emerge from the November 2004 report, especially sections F and G.
    3. Without having a crude notion of phases, key aspects of phase 1 of our overall programme – "setting the foundations" – have been completed. Other aspects will be dealt with over time. But clearly, we are now ready to forge a more effective oversight role - and it is in shaping this that our 2005 programme will be determined. It is important that we build on what we have done since August 2004, and not cover ground that we have already traversed; in other words, we need to move forward based on our past experiences.

     

  2. Annual Workshop with Ministry and Department
    1. The Annual Workshop with the Ministry and Department will provide us with a sense of the Ministry and Department’s programme for the year, and will serve to contribute to finalizing our 2005 programme.
    2. The workshop is set for Tuesday, 8 March.
  3. Budget Hearings
    1. The Ministry and Department’s budget will be considered on Tuesday, 5 April and Wednesday, 6 April.

     

  4. Budget Vote Debate
    1. The Programme Committee of parliament has not yet allocated a date for this.
  5. Education and Training Programme
    1. We will have an ongoing programme of empowering ourselves. In our November 2004 report, we identified the need for workshops on the following issues:
    1. There may be other immediate areas on which we might also want to focus. If so, we need to identify them.
    2. It is a challenging education and training programme, and with the limited parliamentary term this year, in view of the local government elections, exactly how much of this programme we will be able to fulfill is difficult to tell.
  1. Study Tours
    1. We will be undertaking at least 3 sets of study tours of SOE sites, beginning with Denel. We will also undertake further visits to Transnet and Eskom sites.
    2. We will also consider a study tour of an appropriate African and South American country.
  2. Need for Greater Co-operation of Committees
    1. We need to work closer with the Transport, Minerals and Energy, and Defence Portfolio Committees. We identified the issues relating to this in our August 2004 programme and our November 2005 report – and we need to act on these.
  3. Research Assistance
    1. We have just appointed a full-time researcher for the Committee, Ms Busisiwe Letompa.

     

  4. Tentative Programme
    1. The overall programme of parliament has not been finalized yet. Changes are to be made to take account of preparations for the pending local government elections. Our programme will have to be amended accordingly.
  5. Need to Act More Effectively
    1. Obviously, there is much work to be done – and we simply need to do it – effectively! It can also be fun – and we must make it so!..
  6. Items in Programme

11.1 The items in the programme follow on the next page….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Draft 1, 16 February 2005

Public Enterprises Portfolio Committee

2005 Programme

"TOWARDS MORE EFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT"

 

1. Provisional Committee Programme Because Overall Programme Of Parliament Not Yet Finalised

    1. As of today (16 February) the overall parliamentary programme is still not finalised! In view of the local government elections, and the limited legislation to be processed this year, there are further proposals being considered by the relevant structures in parliament to reduce the number of weeks we sit this year.
    2. In mid-January we received approval for our 2005 programme. Unfortunately, in view of changes to the overall parliamentary programme, we have had to make changes to our draft programme over the last few days.
    3. We also have to make further changes in view of the pending changes to the overall parliamentary programme.
    4. Of course, our final programme for the year will be shaped by the workshop to be held with the Ministry and Department on 8 March.

2. Items of Programme

Date

Subject

Venue

31 January –

4 February

Study Tour of Transnet & Eskom

 

 

 

 

Wed, 16 Feb
  1. Adoption of Annual Reports of DPE and SOES.
  2. Further Consideration of 2005 Programme
  3. Further Business

 

G 26

 

 

 

Wed, 23 Feb
  1. Report-back from Alexkor Sub-Committee
  2. Further consideration of 2005 Programme
  3. Further Defining the Portfolio Committee’s Oversight Role (to be confirmed)

 

 

 

 

Wed, 2 March

 

 

Implication of Electricity Restructuring for Municipalities (Jointly with Provincial and Local Government & Minerals and Energy Portfolio Committees) (to be confirmed)

 

 

 

 

Wed, 9 March

SOEs and Women’s Empowerment

M 46

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wed, 16 March

Workshop on:
  1. New Shareholder Management Models
  2. Corporate Governance

 

V 454

 

 

 

 

CONSTITUENCY PERIOD – 21 MARCH - 4 APRIL

 

 

 

 

Tues, 5 April

Consideration of Budget of Ministry and Department

 

 

M 46

 

 

 

Wed, 6 April

Consideration of Budget of Ministry and Department

 

 

V 454

Wed, 13 April

Eskom: Progress on New Investment Plans

 

 

 

 

 

CONSTITUENCY PERIOD – 18 APRIL-13 MAY

 

 

 

 

Tues, 17 May

1. Transnet: Overview of Investment Plans

2. Spoornet

V 454

 

 

 

Wed, 18 May

1. NPA and SAPO

2. Petronet

G 26

V 227

 

 

 

Wed, 25 May

Consideration of World Bank Report on Restructuring of Infrastructure and Services

V 227

Mon, 30 May – Wed, 1 June

Study Tour of Denel and Transnet (Saldanha Bay) (to be, confirmed)

 

 

 

 

Wed, 8 June

SAA

V 454

 

 

 

Wed, 15 June

Denel: Review of Progress

V 454

 

 

 

Wed, 22 June

Workshop on:

Restructuring SOEs in Africa and Elsewhere in the World: Lessons for South Africa

V 454

 

 

 

Wed, 29 June

SOEs and Broad-based BEE

V 454

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL MEETINGS START AT 09:30!

 

To follow:

The above and other items will be slotted in depending on when the "Committee Weeks" are allocated by the Programming Committee