Wednesday, 2 November 2005 (10h00)

Venue: Committee Room E223, 2^nd Floor, New Wing

Mohlaloga, Mr M R (Chairperson)

Njikelana, Mr S J

Kalyan, Ms S V

Dudley, Ms C

Apologies: Mazibuko, Ms N F and Mashiane, Ms L M

The following support staff members were in attendance:

Manjezi, Ms N C - Committee Administrator; and

Mvulane, Mr Z A - Committee Researcher.

The Chairperson welcomed everybody and proceeded to consider the following item of the agenda:

The Committee Researcher, Mr Mvulane presented both reports to the Committee.

He mentioned that he would investigate the regional institutional agreements that South Africa was party to. He further informed the Committee that other committee on governance was also evaluating South Africa’s compliance with regional agreements.

The Committee commended Mr. Mvulane for the good work done on the reports.

The Committee Administrator, Ms Manjezi, informed the committee on the programme for the public hearings on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to be held at the Parktonian Hotel in Braamfontein, Johannesburg from 7-9 November 2005.

She further informed the Committee that the programme was drafted on the basis of submissions already received and that the copy of the advert for the hearings and the programme was also sent the Parliamentary Constituency Office in Johannesburg for it to be circulated to all 42 constituencies in Gauteng. The advert was also sent to umbrella bodies around the country. She requested them to publicise the hearings using their own means of communication.

Ms Manjezi also informed the Committee that she had sent a formal letter of invitation to the Speaker of the Gauteng Legislature inviting the Legislature to take part in the public hearings and to use their own means to popularise the public hearings throughout the Province.

The programme for the hearings was adopted and circulated to all Members of the Committee.

A request for financial assistance by Ms M Sinuka and Mr Colm Allan to attend the hearings was also approved by the Committee.

The Chairpersons suggested that the Committee should be flexible to receive submission after the closing date as the general public was only given two weeks to respond to the advert. He further suggested that a massive radio campaign targeting these areas should be instituted in order for the people to understand and engage in this important process.

Mr S J Njikelana indicated that the Committee should analyse the ‘geo-social origins’ of the submissions and determine how they were spread across wealthy and poorer provinces in the country. This analysis would help the Committee in the future, as the APRM required a cyclical submissions process that should be biased towards previously disadvantaged communities.

There was a concern that Parliament needs to improve its communication with the people in the poor areas and provinces like, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and North West.

As there was no input on Water and Sanitation, Electricity, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Skills Development. The Chairperson suggested that the Committee Administrator should make a follow-up with the stakeholders and request them to make submissions on the areas/fields.

The Committee was concerned that about the Joint Co-ordinating Committee’s pronouncements about the budget allocation to committees. It recommended that the Committee Administrator should follow-up with the matter from the Project Co-ordinators.

The Committee indicated that the Speaker’s Office needs to sensitise the Chairpersons of Committees of Parliament about the priority work of the Ad-Hoc Committees and that the Whips be informed about the involvement of parties in the process.

3.3 Announcement:

The Chairperson informed the Committee that Dr U. Roopnarain of the IFP has been be replaced by Prince N. E. Zulu to serve on the Committee.

The meeting adjourned at 12h00 and the date of the next meeting is 07 November 2005 at 08h00.

Adopted by the Committee: 10 January 2006

Signature of the Chairperson:………………………………

Date:………………………..