National Assembly - 12 September 2001
WEDNESDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2001
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
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The House met at 15:03.
The Speaker took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
QUESTIONS AND REPLIES - see that book.
NOTICES OF MOTION
Ms M M SOTYU: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) a notorious gang leader killed himself, and five other gang
members handed themselves to the police in Guguletu; and
(b) the arrest of these gangsters who have been terrorising ordinary
people is a result of co-operation between the police and the
community;
(2) believes that productive co-operation between communities and the police will go a long way in fighting crime; and
(3) commends the community of Guguletu for co-operating with the police in bringing perpetrators of criminal actions to book.
[Applause.]
Mr D K MALULEKE: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House - (1) requests the PAC, if they have any evidence to support their statements that farm killings are politically motivated, to come forward with it;
(2) is of the opinion that the police should interview Mr Enoch Zulu to substantiate his statement about farm attacks and that he must appear before the investigating team currently looking at farm attacks to test the authenticity and accuracy of his statements; and
(3) recognises that land and land reform is a very sensitive issue and should be treated with the utmost care and consideration, and that it would be tragically irresponsible for any political party or NGO to make statements which they cannot back up with hard evidence, because this could lead to possible incitement and that is the last thing South Africa needs right now.
Dr O BALOYI: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the IFP:
That the House -
(1) notes with concern and regret the extensive damage to property as well as loss of life caused by extensive veld fires in Northern KwaZulu-Natal as well as Vrede in the Free State; and
(2) urges the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to set up a committee to consult with the people who have lost property in order to ascertain the possibility of compensation in the same manner as the process followed by the committee that handled the fires that broke out in the Kruger National Park.
Mr A R AINSLIE: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC: That the House -
(1) notes -
(a) that the ANC Youth League and the Free State Young Farmers'
Association had a very successful meeting yesterday in
Bloemfontein to discuss the formation on a bilateral structure;
and
(b) that the meeting discussed the training of aspiring farmers,
opening up of the market, racism, exploitation and affordability
of farms;
(2) welcomes the initiative of these young people who showed much- needed maturity in opting for intelligible dialogue instead of shouting from the fringes; and
(3) calls on all South Africans in all sectors to follow their lead, and to unite around the common objective of creating a better life for all our people. [Applause.]
Adv A H GAUM: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House -
(1) expresses its great concern at the number of bomb scares in and around Cape Town in the last couple of hours;
(2) commends the rapid response of the SAPS in acting speedily and appropriately, and requests the urgent action of the Minister of Safety and Security in this regard; and
(3) following the terrorist attacks in the United States and the scares in Cape Town, requests the Minister of Safety and Security to place the police services on full alert in this province.
Mr M N RAMODIKE: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the UDM:
That the House -
(1) notes with appreciation the proactive and positive initiative taken by the Commonwealth Ministerial Committee and subsequently leaders of SADC countries to pressurise President Robert Mugabe to halt and refrain from further farm invasions and occupations in Zimbabwe;
(2) further notes that South Africans have given the Government a clear mandate to restitute and distribute land by means of orderly enforcement of the rule of law which is guaranteed and enshrined in the RSA Constitution;
(3) urges the Government to expedite the land restitution and distribution programme and not to heed the call for illegal land invasions and land grabbing; and
(4) calls on the Government, all political organisations and all peace- loving South Africans to avoid the promotion of racial tensions and animosity in this country by way of inciting people on the ground to kill farmers in order to invade and grab land, but instead to support the orderly and equitable distribution of land and to look for the future in the future rather than looking for the future in the past.
Mr L T LANDERS: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) the DA has been embroiled in deepening tensions and divisions,
resulting in the purging of Peter Marais; and
(b) these divisions are along racial lines;
(2) believes that the recent tensions confirm our long-held belief that the DA has mainly been about the swallowing in of the New NP by the DP in order to defend white interests and privileges; and
(3) calls upon all patriots who are committed to change to join the ANC to work towards a united South African nation and a better life for all.
[Applause.]
Dr M S MOGOBA: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the PAC:
That the House - (1) notes with shock the bomb blast in New York and Washington and the killing of many innocent people;
(2) calls on the USA to exercise restraint and not go the route of retaliation as many more people may die; and
(3) appeals to the USA and the UN to encourage the world to go the route of the International Conference against Racism in Durban, as this is the only way the world can discuss and resolve conflict and attempt to move together to ensure peace for all the people and for posterity.
Mr I S MFUNDISI: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House -
(1) notes that the implementation of the reception of five to six-year- olds with effect from next year in all primary education providers will bring in an additional one million learners to our schools;
(2) prevails upon provincial education departments to have the necessary capacity and resources to cater for the needs of these young ones;
(3) believes that whatever ideas education authorities have been entertaining about retrenching teachers, should be kept in abeyance in order to cope with the avalanche of beginners; and
(4) commends the Ministry of Education for implementing the Grade R admissions across the board as this will enhance the school readiness of such children.
Mr F T MASERUMULE: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC: That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) taxi operators from all provinces in South Africa will meet in
Durban to launch a national taxi association; and
(b) this new taxi association will be composed of all taxi
organisations;
(2) believes that this move will enable taxi operators to talk as a united voice in matters relating to transport policy formulation and implementation; and
(3) wishes representatives of all taxi associations good luck in their deliberations over the weekend to form a new national taxi association.
[Applause.]
Mr N J CLELLAND: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) the Umsobomvu Fund, a youth job creation scheme, was announced
in 1998, yielding a total of R855 million which after three
years of inaction now sits at R900 million;
(b) to this day it has not disbursed a single cent to stimulate job
creation or develop skills amongst the youth; and
(c) the Minister of Labour has suddenly announced that his
department will now be responsible for running the fund and that
it would speed up the work of the fund; and
(2) calls on the Minister to -
(a) explain the inactivity of the fund since 1998, bearing in mind
that his department has been a permanent member of the board of
the Umsobomvu Fund; and
(b) stop the delays and get on with the real task of creating jobs
for our youth.
[Applause.]
Dr R RABINOWITZ: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the IFP:
That the House -
(1) notes that draft regulations for labelling of genetically modified foods indicate that -
(a) a large costly bureaucracy will be required to monitor the
proposed regulations;
(b) the cost of food will increase significantly as a result;
(c) animals fed on genetically modified foods are not included in
the labelling net;
(d) a label stating ``no GM food'' implies less than 1% of GM food
which is in fact misleading as a ``GM-free'' label is
disallowed; and
(e) the wording of the regulation is complex and difficult to
understand; and
(2) calls on the Minister to review her approach to these regulations and adopt simpler and clearer measures.
Mr M R BALOYI: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes the stance by Israel and Palestine to press ahead with peace talks despite the violence engulfing the region;
(2) believes that negotiations remain an important vehicle for the peaceful resolution of the crisis in the Middle East;
(3) applauds the decision by both leaders, Yasser Arafat and Shimon Peres, to press ahead with peace negotiations; and
(4) calls on the people in the region to support initiatives for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in that region.
[Applause.]
Mr C M MORKEL: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House notes -
(1) the recent statement by ANC Youth League President, Malusi Gigaba, to
the effect that there is a vacuum in the leadership'' of an ANC-
SACP-Cosatu alliance in crisis’’, that the ANC’s tripartite
alliance is, by this admission, not fit to govern itself or South
Africa; and
(2) urges the ANC to settle its socioeconomically destructive squabbles around Gear, privatisation and elitist black economic empowerment strategies, so that investor confidence and productivity can be boosted to create business opportunities and jobs for all South Africans, especially the youth.
Mr M E MABETA: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the UDM:
That the House -
(1) notes -
(a) with shock the death of a young man during looting that took
place in KwaNobuhle, during which foreign shop-owners and a
local mosque were targeted; and
(b) with alarm the hundreds of apparently xenophobic looters in
Uitenhage that caused millions of rands of damage;
(2) calls upon the Department of Safety and Security immediately to investigate and punish those Eastern Cape police officers who were reported to have stood by and watched as the looting took place; and
(3) calls upon the Government urgently to assist and extend protection to all its citizens, irrespective of their origin, religious affiliation or any other form of classification.
Mr B M SOLO: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes that seven people were killed and seven others injured in a bus accident at Qumbu yesterday;
(2) expresses its condolences to the families of the deceased;
(3) wishes the injured a speedy recovery; and
(4) calls upon all South Africans to comply with the Arrive Alive campaign.
[Applause.]
Ms C DUDLEY: I shall move on behalf …
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Dudley, I have not yet called you or your party. The DP! The IFP! It seems all parties have run out of notices of motion. The ACDP!
Ms C DUDLEY: Madam Speaker, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ACDP:
That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) despite assurances from the government of Sudan that they would
cease air attacks against the South, the National Islamic Front
government continues to unleash waves of artillery bombardments
and ground assaults against Christian villages in the Nuba
Mountains; and
(b) many villages have been burned and many people have been killed
by the Sudanese government forces and communities, churches and
schools are under attack and in the gravest danger; and (2) calls on the Government to speak out against these atrocities and put
pressure on the government of Sudan to stop waging war against its
own citizens.
TERRORISM ATTACKS ON WORLD TRADE CENTRE AND PENTAGON IN THE UNITED STATES
(Draft Resolution)
Mr M T GONIWE: Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Chief Whip of the Majority Party, I move without notice:
That the House -
(1) noting -
(a) the indefensible and dastardly attacks yesterday on the World
Trade Centre in New York and on the Pentagon, headquarters of
the Department of Defence of the United States; and
(b) that these cowardly acts of terrorism resulted in unprecedented
levels of death and destruction to the American people;
(2) condemns these acts of terrorism against the people of America in the same way that it condemns terrorism anywhere in the world; and
(3) extends its heartfelt condolences to the victims, their families and loved ones, as well as to the government of the United States.
Agreed to.
CELEBRATION OF JEWISH RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
(Draft Resolution)
Miss S RAJBALLY: Madam Speaker, I move without notice:
That the House -
(1) notes that numerous festivities such as the 10-day repentance, Day of Atonement, Sukkot and Shemini Azeret are to be celebrated by those of the Jewish faith between the Jewish New Year on 18 September 2001 and Rejoicing for the Torah on 10 October 2001; and
(2) takes the opportunity to wish all those celebrating these auspicious occasions the very best.
Agreed to.
MR GAORETELELWE BALOI'S ABSENCE FROM PARLIAMENT
(Draft Resolution)
Mr I S MFUNDISI: Madam Speaker, I move without notice:
That the House -
(1) notes that the hon Mr Gaoretelelwe Baloi has been absent from Parliament for the past four months owing to illness and sympathises with him;
(2) remembers him and his family as he recuperates at home after being discharged from hospital; and
(3) prays for him so that he is relieved of the agony that he has been going through since becoming ill.
Agreed to.
POINT OF ORDER
Dr B L GELDENHUYS: Madam Speaker, on a point of order: When the hon the Chief Whip of the Majority Party actually moved the motion without notice, which was agreed to by all parties, the last paragraph was also agreed upon, but for one reason or another, if I listened correctly to the hon member, he left out the last paragraph. In other words, the motion was not moved on the same grounds that it was agreed upon by the parties. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! I regret to say you are reopening a matter which the House has agreed on. When I asked whether there were any objections, there were none, and the motion was agreed to. Therefore, that closes the matter and the business for the day.
The House adjourned at 17:24. ____
ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
- The Speaker and the Chairperson:
(1) The following Bill was introduced by the Minister for Justice
and Constitutional Development in the National Assembly on 12
September 2001 and referred to the Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM)
for classification in terms of Joint Rule 160:
(i) Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment
Bill [B 68 - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 74(3)) [Bill
published in Government Gazette No 22460 of 13 July 2001.]
The Bill has also been referred to the Portfolio Committee on
Justice and Constitutional Development of the National Assembly.
In terms of Joint Rule 154 written views on the classification of
the Bill may be submitted to the Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM)
within three parliamentary working days.
- The Speaker and the Chairperson:
The following changes have been made to the membership of Joint
Committees, viz:
Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Women:
Appointed: Mabena, D C.
National Assembly:
- The Speaker:
The following changes have been made to the membership of Portfolio
Committees, viz:
Arts, Culture, Science and Technology:
Discharged: Pretorius, I J.
Correctional Services:
Discharged: Jordan, Z P.
Housing:
Appointed: Mabena, D C (Alt).
Public Accounts:
Appointed: Masithela, N H; Mothoagae, P K.
Discharged: Doidge, G Q M.
Public Enterprises:
Appointed: Martins, B A D.
Social Development:
Appointed: Gandhi, E (Alt); Mabena, D C.
Trade and Industry:
Appointed: Rhoda, R T; Van Deventer, F J (Alt).
TABLINGS:
National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
Papers:
- The Minister of Home Affairs:
Financial Statements of the Department of Home Affairs and Government
Printing Works for 2000-2001, including the Report of the Auditor-
General on the Financial Statements of Vote 14 - Home Affairs for 2000-
2001 and the Report of the Auditor-General on the Financial Statements
of the Government Printing Works Trading Accounts for 2000-2001 [RP 112-
2001].
- The Minister of Transport:
Report and Financial Statements of the South African Rail Commuter
Corporation for 2000-2001, including the Report of the Auditor-General
on the Financial Statements for 2000-2001 [RP 107-2001].
- The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism:
Financial Statements of the Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism for 2000-2001, including the Report of the Auditor-General on
the Financial Statements for 2000-2001 [RP 115-2001].
National Assembly:
- The Speaker:
Written comments received from the public and provincial legislatures
on the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Bill [B
68 - 2001] and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Second
Amendment Bill, 2001, submitted by the Minister for Justice and
Constitutional Development in terms of section 74(6)(a) of the
Constitution, 1996.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
National Assembly:
-
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises on the Alexkor Limited Amendment Bill [B 29 - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 75), dated 12 September 2001:
The Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises, having considered the subject of the Alexkor Limited Amendment Bill [B 29 - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 75), referred to it and classified by the Joint Tagging Mechanism as a section 75 Bill, reports the Bill without amendment.