WEDNESDAY, 25 AUGUST 2010 __

          PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
                               ______

The Council met at 14:02.

The Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORT – see col 000.

         VISIT BY MR T MATSUMOTO AND HIS EXCELLENCY T OZAWA

    ILL HEALTH OF CHIEF WHIP AND APPOINTMENT OF ACTING CHIEF WHIP

                           (Announcements)

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members, I wish to recognise in the gallery the delegation from the National Diet of Japan, led by Mr T Matsumoto, MP, and accompanied by His Excellency Mr T Ozawa, the Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of South Africa. [Applause.]

The second thing that I want to announce to you is that the hon Chief Whip is not well. She was admitted to hospital yesterday, and I went to the hospital to see her last night. Hon Mazosiwe has been appointed Acting Chief Whip. [Applause.]

                      QUESTIONS FOR ORAL REPLY

THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT:

Steps to reduce incidence of rape and violence against women and children

1. Mr D A Worth (DA) asked the Deputy President:

   (1) Whether, in light of the celebration of August as Women’s Month, and in view of the high incidence of rape and violence against women and children, the government has taken any steps to reduce the occurrence of such incidents; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

   (2) what measures are being taken to further ensure gender equality? CO347E

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, hon Chairperson and hon members. I will respond to the question asked by Mr D A Worth. Since 1994 one of government’s top priorities has been the eradication of violence against women and children. Government has unequivocally committed itself to reducing violence against women and children.

Our legislative framework to protect women and children is comprehensive. This includes measures to tighten the bail laws and minimum sentences for, among others, crimes against women and children listed in the Domestic Violence Act and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, which brought about a comprehensive and extensive review and amendment of the laws relating to sexual offences. The Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill currently before the National Assembly, in particular, focuses on women and children, since victims of trafficking often end up being victims of sexual exploitation and child labour.

Various government departments have put measures in place to facilitate the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act. For instance, resources have been made available for the development of policies and programmes, outreach and education, training, the hiring of personnel, the establishment of family court centres, and the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.

The theme for this Women’s Month and, indeed, for the entire year is: “Working together for equal opportunities and progress for all women”. This theme clearly highlights the need for close collaboration among all stakeholders to accelerate responses to the challenges faced by women - especially rural women - and girls and women with disabilities.

Gender-based violence is a complex societal problem that demands an integrated and multifaceted response. We need to investigate and address both the causal and influencing factors; we need to encourage reporting; and we need to accelerate the transformation of our criminal justice system to ensure effective and successful management of cases of gender-based violence.

While a sound legislative framework exists in this country to support and protect women and children from gender-based violence, it is giving material effect to the legislative provisions that poses the greatest challenge. Much more needs to be done if we are to be successful in creating an environment where women and children can feel safe and move around freely without anxiety or fear. The focus in future needs to be more on the implementation of our laws and policies, which is not always easy - especially in the prevailing economic climate.

With respect to gender equality, government enacted the Employment Equity Act, Act 55 of 1998, to achieve equity in the workplace. Such equity must be achieved through the elimination of discrimination against women and ensuring equitable representation by women in all occupational categories.

Furthermore, government adopted a target of 50% representation of women at all levels of decision-making in all spheres of government. The country is on track towards achieving this target, and this is clearly reflected in both the executive and administrative levels in the country. However, the country is still facing challenges in achieving these targets in the private sector. I thank you for your attention.

Mr D A WORTH: Thank you, Deputy President, for your detailed reply. In the context of my question and your reply, in your opinion, how do we manage or get that Domestic Violence Act to be more effectively implemented? We have this wonderful Bill, but it is certainly not being implemented to its fullest extent. What are your comments on that, Deputy President?

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: It’s actually us who should answer that question because we have got to monitor the implementation. However, I won’t deny the Deputy President the opportunity to respond, if he wishes to.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Hon members, I think the challenge arises precisely because, in a domestic situation, the perpetrator and the victim are often people who are related. Certainly, in African communities, this is what happens: In families, once there’s abuse of whatever kind, the uncles, aunts and other family members come to the fore and mediate. In the majority of cases they advise against such incidents being reported to law enforcement units. They tend to treat it more as an internal family matter, under the illusion that the prestige and good name of the family would be dragged through the mud by bringing such incidents into the open. I think that is what tends to blunt the effectiveness of this Act. Thank you.

Mr T D HARRIS: Chair, I would like to ask the Deputy President whether, in light of the increased incidence of rape in South Africa, government will consider reinstating the specialised units in the SA Police Force to deal with such crimes.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you, hon Harris. If we go by the performance of the criminal justice system during the Fifa World Cup, it should be possible for us to apprehend offenders, including those who engage in rape. I think the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development has assured the country that the special courts will remain in place, and that the additional 40 000 police officers will remain on the beat.

I’m sure hon members are aware that in the Eastern Cape this week we woke up to reports of the most horrendous deeds that were visited upon a family. An old, old grandparent and grandchildren were slaughtered. Those offenders are appearing in court today. I think if we continue to deal with offences of whatever nature with this kind of efficiency and speed, we should be able to deal even with the perpetrators of rape, without having a specialised unit. I suppose, out of practical experience, if we find that a much more specialised unit would be effective to deal with rape offences, that would be considered favourably. Thank you.

Mr O DE BEER: Thank you, Chairperson. Deputy President, it is a well-known fact that women who lack adequate formal education and skills will remain subservient to males who are better educated and skilled. Therefore I wish to ask: What big steps has government put in place for the women students who complete their education to skill them on how to protect themselves against violence and rape?

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Hon members, I think the government can only do so much to ensure that the laws that have been enacted are understood by all citizens - regardless of their levels of education - so that these should be used as a form of protection against abuse as well as rape.

The difficulty, as I indicated earlier on, is that these are offences which, in the main, happen within family settings rather than just out there in the public space. Because of that, there are no early warnings or signals that indicate that such an offence is about to be committed. If you add into the mix substance abuse and so on, then the challenge becomes even more complex.

But, generally speaking, the government would like to ensure that all women are aware, first and foremost, of their protections and are able to read the indicators. Sometimes it becomes possible to read the intentions of certain approaches. Of course, government alone will not be able to be omnipresent and reach out to everyone. This is work that we ought to do in partnership with community-based organisations, NGOs and other kinds of formations. Thank you.

Position regarding commitment by African countries to increase health
                         expenditure by 15%

1. Mr M J R de Villiers (DA) asked the Deputy President:

 (1)    Whether the commitment that was signed by African  countries  in
       2001 in Abuja, Nigeria, to increase their expenditure on  health
       by up to 15%, was an agreement document between these countries;
       if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is  the
       status of this agreement as an implementation document;


  (2)   whether South Africa formed part of the African  countries  that
       committed themselves to this agreement; if not, why not; if  so,
       what are the relevant details;


  (3)   (a) what percentage of this 15% that was committed  to  will  be
       spent on HIV/Aids, (b) what percentage  is  currently  spent  on
       HIV/Aids, (c) where does the SA National Aids Council  fit  into
       the (i) planning and (ii) decision-making  on  how  the  15%  is
       spent   and   (d)   how   is   this   expenditure   implemented?
                              CO348E

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Chairperson and hon members, in order to address the exceptional challenges of HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases, the heads of state of the then Organisation for African Unity held a special summit in Abuja, Nigeria from 24 to 27 April 2001, specifically devoted to this issue. The summit adopted a declaration in which the heads of state and governments pledged to set a target of allocating 15% of their governments’ annual budgets to the improvement of the health sector.

No specific amount was pledged for HIV/Aids. The declaration merely stated that an appropriate and adequate portion of this amount should be put at the disposal of the national commissions or councils for the fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Although the declaration is not a binding document and the 15% of the annual budget was a target, our government, the South African government, is close to achieving this goal in that health expenditure as a percentage of total government spending, excluding the public entities, is currently in the region of 13%.

In 2009-10, over 11% of the health budget was spent on HIV/Aids in the public health sector. However, this may be an underestimate, as it excludes the hospitalisation costs of people with HIV/Aids. The operations of the SA National Aids Council, Sanac, secretariat are currently funded through the national Department of Health’s budget. In addition, provinces allocate funding to support provincial Aids councils and many municipalities support local Aids councils. It is difficult to quantify the total amount of funding that is spent on the functioning of the national, provincial and district Aids councils. The total amount of funds set aside in the national Department of Health’s budget for Sanac operations for the 2010-11 financial year is R4,7 million.

Decisions regarding the Sanac programme of action and, therefore, expenditure are taken at many levels. At a strategic level, decisions are taken by the Sanac Plenary, which is chaired by the Deputy President and co- chaired by a member of civil society, currently Mr Mark Heywood. At an operational level, decisions are taken by the chief executive officer of Sanac, Dr Nono Simelela.

At present, the secretariat is working with the national Department of Health to determine its budget requirements for the next Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period. The department therefore is a conduit for funds for Sanac until it becomes an independent legal entity with its own board.

Public sector HIV/Aids expenditure occurs at all levels of the health system: district, province and national. In addition, all government departments have programmes aimed at HIV prevention. These programmes are co-ordinated by the Department of Public Service and Administration on behalf of government, and the Department of Public Service and Administration represents all government departments as a sector in Sanac. I thank you.

Mr M J R DE VILLIERS: Chairperson, my follow-up question to the Deputy President is that life skills in the development of HIV/Aids are critical to empower women and communities to combat this pandemic. Certain provinces in South Africa underspent on this programme. Deputy President, what is the government doing to address this situation? What is your comment? I thank you.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Chairperson and hon members, as you know, the government does not take kindly to rollovers. In these difficult times, any rollovers, particularly in this area of work, would be criticised very severely by government, because resources to do work, particularly the prevention of new infections, are very difficult to come by. Therefore, with the limited resources available, we do urge provincial governments to ensure that this money is spent on what it was allocated for.

Of course, the NCOP would be within its rights, as a House, to criticise any government level or sphere that does not spend all of its allocated resources for health purposes. If there are rollovers, these would be clearly reflected in the Auditor-General’s report. I think that is a joint responsibility, from our side, certainly, as national government, as a structure. As I said, I chair the SA National Aids Council. On a regular basis we try to nudge all sectors to do what is required of them, because the emphasis of our efforts is on prevention.

Prevention can only be attained if the general public is well aware of the factors that cause our people to be vulnerable to new infections. The idea is to prevent new infections and to treat those who are already infected. That is why there is a good campaign being run in the province of KwaZulu- Natal on medical male circumcision, precisely because it has been proved that medical male circumcision prevents new infections by up to 60%. It is not the total answer, but it is a step in the right direction. That campaign is going fairly well in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and other parts of the country. Thank you.

Mr R A LEES: Chairperson, the Deputy President has indicated to us that the expenditure in 2009-10 on health was 13% of total expenditure. Given that, nine years ago, we made a commitment to aim at 15%, I would like to ask the Deputy President whether that is still our aim. If it is, has he any idea of when we might get to the 15%?

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Chairperson, this declaration was a commitment towards the improvement of the health sector in its totality. As you know, hon members, health is one of our priorities, together with education, the fight against crime and corruption, the creation of more jobs, and rural development. So, because it is a priority, we believe that we should be able to reach this target and surpass it in the next few years.

Some of the initiatives that are taken to improve the health sector, such as the reopening of the colleges for training nurses, would ensure that our primary health care system is up and running once again. You know that in this country we have a good reputation for training well-qualified, efficient nurses. That is why other countries, like Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, have been recruiting and poaching our nurses. We want to go back to ensuring that we train, once again, nurses who would ensure that our primary health care system works efficiently. So, I have no doubt in my mind that we should be able to reach this target of 15% sooner rather than later. Thank you. Programmes to sustain national pride and unity among the people of South Africa

1. Ms N D Ntwanambi (ANC) asked the Deputy President:

   (1) Whether the government has instituted any programmes to ensure that we sustain the national pride and unity that the people of South Africa and the African continent displayed during the hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup soccer tournament; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

   (2) whether such programmes are currently being implemented; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

   (3) whether the Presidency will consider such programmes in order to enhance our shared nationhood and good citizenship; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? CO349E

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Chairperson, hon members, as we heard in the debate in the Joint Sitting last week, the South African government was inspired by the enthusiasm displayed by people from all races and walks of life of this country in the build-up to and throughout the course of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

To capitalise on the positive mood that prevailed in the run-up to and throughout the event, the South African government is in liaison with the International Marketing Council to conceptualise a programme aimed at building on the enthusiasm of South Africans, which was expressed in their cohesion as a nation united under a common flag and anthem.

This programme will seek to develop and entrench a nation brand of ubuntu, of unity through our diversity, of innovation and creativity, and of possibilities. A campaign has already been developed and will be launched within the next few weeks.

In addition, government supports other initiatives currently under way by the private sector which encourage South Africans to build on this spirit even after the World Cup.

Some private businesses continue to infuse the flying of the national flag in their campaigns and we encourage others to do likewise. We have seen the flying of the flag over the past days, especially in the build-up to and during the friendly match between our national football team, Bafana Bafana, and their Ghanaian counterparts, the Black Stars, on 11 August

1. I thank you.

Mr K A SINCLAIR: Chairperson, given the fact that we are all in agreement that we need to nurture the national pride and unity that seized our nation, specifically during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, I want to ask the hon Deputy President whether he foresees that any written commitments are going to be called for by government from all identified role-players, so that we can sustain the momentum until the task of nation-building is completed in all aspects. Thank you.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Chairperson and hon members, indeed, what is first and foremost required of us is to draw the relevant lessons from the experience of hosting the World Cup in the manner in which we did. Then we must apply those lessons to tackling the stubborn challenges that face us.

For instance, the preparations for this Fifa World Cup enabled us to co- ordinate activities between the three spheres of government – national, provincial and the host cities, which is local government – to ensure that we were able to deliver infrastructure within set timelines.

I think, if we were to tackle the challenge of providing bulk economic and social infrastructure for communities in the rural areas as well as the townships – by that I mean ensuring that the roads are tarred, potable water is available and accessible in the homesteads, a sewerage system is rolled out and mud schools are replaced with brick and mortar school buildings with sports facilities – identify them, communicate the programme, roll them out in the same spirit and mobilise the broadest cross- section of the population behind them, we would be able to deliver and, by doing so, be creating the environment for much better national cohesion. Two weeks ago I was in Bloemfontein in the Free State, and … [Interjections.]

Vrystaat? Vrystaat, ja. Vrystaat. [Gelag] [Free State? Free State, yes. Free State.][Laughter.]

I was in the Vrystaat [Free State], and one of the places that I had to check on is an old township in Kroonstad, called Marabastad. This is an old, old township. The buildings were disintegrating. The houses there were disintegrating out of sheer old age. But new ones were being built and I was really pleased that part of the white community in Kroonstad – those of them who are homeless and without their own homes – applied for those houses. Seventy-four of them were allocated houses and they are going to be living in Marabastad.

So, that is where we are with regard to the provision of bulk economic and social infrastructure. We are advancing in terms of national cohesion. Thank you.

Mr T D HARRIS: Chair, I would like to ask the Deputy President whether the government has instituted any programmes to ensure that we sustain the national pride and unity that arises from the continued and regular use of the five stadiums that we built at a cost of billions of rands to the South African taxpayer.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Chairperson, hon members, that is a work in progress because, as you know, these stadia belong to the local municipalities, the metros, and there are sporting associations that would like to enter into arrangements. So, it’s early days. Discussions involving various associations of sport and the local municipalities are in progress.

I am also aware that the Ministries of Sport and Recreation, and Arts and Culture have initiated processes of developing programmes which would ensure that these stadia do not become white elephants. There are also plans to develop the precincts around the stadia, so that there should always be activity around them.

Therefore the utilisation of these stadia will be enhanced by the outcomes of these deliberations. As I said, this is a work in progress; we should, perhaps in the next session, be able give you much more specific answers to this question. Thank you.

Mr A WATSON: Chair, Mr Acting President, one of the most effective counteractions against vigilantism is organised crime-fighting. Now, one of the best ever rural crime-fighting or crime prevention units that we have ever had in the country was the commandos. Now, we all know that there were negative associations with the commandos and we can’t argue with that. But, at the same time, we must acknowledge the good work they did, especially on the farms, protecting farm workers, farm owners and farmers alike.

Has the government any plan to substitute that, over and above the Police Service reservists, which do not seem to work as well as the commandos did?

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Mr Watson, we have passed that question. We are dealing with Question 15 – the 2010 Fifa World Cup. That’s what we are dealing with.

Mr A WATSON: [Inaudible.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Yes.

Awareness programmes to encourage involvement of communities in the fight against crime

1. Ms N D Ntwanambi (ANC) asked the Deputy President:

   (1) Whether the government has established any awareness programmes to encourage communities to name and shame persons who participate in criminal activities with the view of taking the fight against crime to community level and encouraging communities to reclaim positive values; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what is the level of involvement of the communities and (b) to what extent are communities encouraged to be part of the fight against crime beyond the community police forums;

   (2) whether any measures are in place to ensure that this initiative does not encourage vigilantism; if not, why not; if so, what measures? CO351E

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Hon Chairperson, there is no awareness programme that I am aware of specifically to name and shame persons who participate in criminal activities.

Our programmes run by the SA Police Service, SAPS, at national and provincial level and through police stations include as a consistent message in their engagement with communities that crime must be reported either at the police stations or through the Crime Stop telephone number.

In addition, the SAPS has entered into a partnership with Primedia for the establishment of the Crime Line website and sms line, which also allows members of the public to report criminal activity through these mediums.

Encouraging communities to break the silence, especially about gender-based violence and crimes against children, also forms part of the messaging used in crime awareness campaigns. Communities are also called upon to work with the police to combat crime.

Initiatives are undertaken with the community police forums, CPFs, but communication tools such as community radio, newspaper articles, door-to- door campaigns and direct engagement with stakeholder groups, for example school visits, are also used.

The awareness programmes include specific messages to encourage communities to report crime to the SAPS and not to take the law into their own hands by becoming involved in vigilantism. Our police act against vigilantism and ensure that such actions are publicised to serve as a deterrent to individuals in communities who want to take the law into their own hands.

The Ministry of Police, through the Civilian Secretariat for Police, has also established a partnership unit which explores partnerships with communities and civil society. I thank you.

Mr A WATSON: My apologies once again, Chair. I misread that section 2 was part of Question 15, but will the Deputy President now consider my question as part of Question 16? [Laughter.]

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Hon members, commandos were a phenomenon of a particular time and place in our country. That does not mean that the method applied by the commandos should be thrown out with the bath water. From every experience in given circumstances, we should be able to draw the relevant lessons and employ them because crime is a scourge that we must combat and defeat wherever it manifests itself. The more communities are organised to rebut crime and to work hand in glove with law enforcement units, the better for their own safety and security.

Yes, indeed, if the farming community as well as farmhands and workers come together to organise themselves into units under the guidance and supervision of the law enforcement units, that shouldn’t pose a problem at all. I am absolutely certain that the Minister of Police would be more than happy to consider that and give his blessing as well as guidance to their establishment. They may go by a different name, rather than commandos; but if they are inclusive and aim at really combating crime by keeping the farmlands as safe as possible, then why not? I am sure they would be favourably considered. Thank you.

Mr D A WORTH: Chairperson, with regard to the question to the Deputy President, wouldn’t it be a good idea to get former inmates who have now been released, and possibly with officers from Correctional Services, to speak to schools and the youth at the meetings to sensitise the youth to what can happen if they commit crime, and also to alert them to the fact that it is not nice to sit in jail? Thank you very much.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Hon members, yes, indeed there is a programme already in place. Last month, I was in KwaZulu-Natal at the Moral Regeneration Movement Conference, and one of the key speakers was a former inmate who, while in prison, furthered his studies. He studied law. He is a writer of several books and has already produced three novels. He spoke and explained to the audience and participants how he got into trouble with the law. He was sentenced to 15 years and he is now out on parole. They even had two different choirs of inmates performing musical items at that conference.

I know that such programmes exist in a number of areas; some of them play football against teams in the community and, in the process, they are able to advise particularly the young ones against the challenges of criminal activities and that, indeed, crime does not pay. That is a core message that they are spreading. Thank you.

Mrs E C VAN LINGEN: Hon Chairperson, I would like to ask the hon Deputy President a question that is actually linked to the one on women and violence against women. We actually have a problem when people who rape are let out on bail. Regarding the second statement, that of naming and shaming in the communities, is there any programme in place that will deny rapists bail?

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Okay, I will allow the linkage. I know you are taking a chance, but I will allow it.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Unfortunately, our Bill of Rights provides for all South Africans who are arrested, for one offence or the other, to be charged within 48 hours or be granted bail because it is against detention without trial. Once somebody is charged, such a person can always apply for bail. The only reason normally adduced by the state for opposing bail is when an offender is a flight risk; if there is the possibility of a person fleeing the country and never presenting himself.

In the majority of cases, there is not much that the state can do to prevent the courts from granting bail to any offender. However, where there is perhaps suspicion or even grounds for believing that such a person would interfere with the victims and witnesses, the victims could either be provided with protection - and the state can argue that if this person were released on bail, then he could interfere with witnesses. The court would rarely be persuaded by such argument, but the state is duty-bound to provide the necessary protection for that period. But once the matter is heard and finalised by the courts, there is not much that can be done about it. Thank you.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Okay, that deals with the follow-up questions on that question. Just before we move to Question 17, I see the young generation in the gallery. Welcome to the National Council of Provinces. We are dealing with questions today. I hope one of you will be a Member of Parliament in the future. I would follow that up, but I don’t know from which school you are. They didn’t tell me.

Impact of antipoverty community projects on poorest communities in KwaZulu- Natal

1. Prince M M M Zulu (IFP) asked the Deputy President:

   (1) Whether the antipoverty community projects are making the desired impact upon the lives of the poorest communities in KwaZulu-Natal; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

   (2) whether commitments made by the campaign to the communities have been met; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? CO353E The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Hon Chairperson, hon members, it is always encouraging to note that hon members of this House are closely following developments in the delivery and performance of government’s antipoverty programmes. Let me state up front that the pace of delivery is not always as fast as we desire and often the impact is not immediately visible.

However, this inspires us to roll up our sleeves and work harder in order to lift our communities out of poverty. Indeed, government has rolled out several antipoverty initiatives in all provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal. These range from the Expanded Public Works Programme, the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, the Community Works Programme, the Community Development Worker Programme, the National Rural Youth Service Programme, Zibambele early childhood development, and a number of other initiatives that support poor communities to earn livelihoods.

These are all in addition to the provision of free basic services and other social protection measures that cushion people. The cumulative effect of all these initiatives is the constant chipping away at the massive problem of poverty that we have in our midst. It is my unwavering belief that the sum total effect of these initiatives is having an impact on the lives of poor people in our country.

We are taking children to early childhood development facilities. We are ensuring that children whose parents cannot afford to pay school fees are going to school. We are ensuring that those who need antiretroviral therapy are getting the necessary medicines. We are getting communities to work for the betterment of their people and their personal lives. We are getting our unemployed youth to work.

The impact of all these initiatives cannot be measured in terms of days, weeks or months. We believe it is a long journey towards a poverty-free KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa. The commitments we have made to these communities are being met on a daily basis. I need to inform hon members that these communities are generally categorised into immediate commitments, medium-term and long-term commitments.

We ensure that immediate commitments, such as taking a child to school, putting a child on a child support grant, issuing of vital registration documents, social relief of distress, health assessments, and linking individuals to available opportunities are fulfilled in the shortest possible time. The medium-term commitments certainly take a little more time, and so do the long-term ones.

What is most important is that none of the commitments made by government will be ignored or remain unattended to. We will do our utmost to follow up on commitments made to the poor communities of KwaZulu-Natal. We will be transparent with our successes as well as challenges confronted in fulfilling the commitments. We have delivered on some of the commitments we have made to the poor communities of KwaZulu-Natal and the rest of the country. We are following up on those that are outstanding. All spheres of government are aware of what needs to be done to meet all the commitments made to the poor communities.

I chair an antipoverty interministerial committee, which reviews the progress we are making with antipoverty initiatives. Last but not least, I call upon all hon members in this House to join us in the fight against poverty and to monitor progress and identify where we can do better. I thank you for your attention.

Mr T D HARRIS: Chairperson, the Deputy President referred to the government making progress against the massive problem of poverty in South Africa. I would suggest that millions of South Africans, especially those in rural provinces like the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, who experience grinding poverty on a daily basis, would disagree with him.

I would like to ask him whether government would consider implementing what the DA calls an income support and unemployment grant of R110 per month. Cosatu calls it a basic income grant. I would like to know if the state would consider introducing a grant like that and when last did they do a viability study of a grant like that? I thank you.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Hon members, the last time we were asked to consider the basic income grant, the administration of the proposal was seen as prohibitive. Instead, the approach we follow is that of profiling households. By doing so, we seek to identify poverty-stricken households. We take our data and direction from Statistics SA’s provincial poverty index.

When we go into those households, we try to identify change agents in each of them. If we find someone who dropped out of school and did not complete his or her studies but is keen to go back and complete those studies, we then give dedicated support and we monitor such a person’s progress. We do this in the belief that unless we identify such change agents and support them, poverty will be transmitted from one generation of that family to the next generation. The idea is that there have to be some members of the family who can pull that household out of the morass of poverty.

This is over and above other initiatives. For instance, when there is an aged person who does not have an ID, it is organised for him or her so that that person can source from the pension fund. If there are children, they will be registered for child support grants, and so on. So, all the other grants are awarded, but the idea is that there must be some members of the family who can be assisted in one way or the other.

In some instances, where the house is properly roofed and all that is required is for the gutters to be fitted onto the house and a water tank to be provided in order to harvest rainwater, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is able to do that. They can provide that kind of support and help the family. If there are extensive yards, they can help people to till the ground, cultivate it and produce vegetables to supplement the family supply of fresh vegetables. We have seen how those kinds of interventions assist in that regard.

This weekend we went to Plettenberg Bay with the premier of the province, Ms Helen Zille. We visited an area in the morning where in one of the households there lived five different families. The main tenant of the house was a Rastafarian gentleman who had taken some herbs. He told us there was a whole community of them, living somewhere in another part of the township. He requested that he be given ploughing fields where he would go and till, together with the rest of his community. We persuaded him that his yard was big enough and that he should begin there. We told him that we would assist the rest of his community when we find them there, but that he should till that piece of land he was staying on. It turned out that he had rented out space in the yard and his sub-tenants were paying him R150 per family. He had an income stream.

What I am trying to say is that it is helpful to have an understanding of each household’s profile and intervene in that way, because a general basic income scheme means that you give R100 to everyone, from the ones who need it to those who don’t. From those who don’t need it, you then find another way of deducting it from their income. The administration of it proved to be a bit prohibitive. I am sorry I was a bit long-winded. I thank you.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: The name of the school visiting us is Fondwe Primary School, from Limpopo. It seems as if they are now leaving. Thank you very much.

Mr R A LEES: Hon Chairperson, Deputy President, it is indeed gratifying to see you here today, given the extent of your travels over the last week. But it is great to hear about your travels too, Sir.

The question I would like to ask you, given your answer to the previous question, is with regard to the food parcels which are indiscriminately distributed among communities, many to needy families, but others to whomever happens to be around. This seems to happen on a fairly regular basis, particularly as we approach an election, as we are doing next year. Does the Deputy President think this is a good thing and really a poverty alleviation measure? I thank you.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Mr Lees, I would phrase your question differently, rather than saying “discriminately”, because we don’t have proof of that.

Mr R A LEES: Chairperson, I said “indiscriminately”.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Indiscriminately?

Mr R A LEES: Mr Chair, I apologise for putting it badly. By saying indiscriminately, I mean there is no selection process. Whoever happens to be there, gets it.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Okay.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Chairperson, as I understand it, food parcels are distributed by the Ministry of Social Development. They follow the same approach of identifying the people who need such food parcels. Some of them are people who are HIV-positive and on treatment and therefore need to receive food parcels before taking their treatment.

If there is any evidence that these are used to buy votes, that is something that we will condemn up front. The food parcels must always be given as relief to the needy, to those who are indigent and would otherwise go without food if they did not receive such food parcels. They were never meant for buying votes. In any case, I think it would be a futile effort to try to buy votes by providing people with food parcels because they will eat and once they have had their fill, they will make their choices in accordance with their preferences. I thank you. [Applause.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: I recognise the Speaker of the Eastern Cape legislature, Mr Xasa, who is our visitor. You are welcome in the NCOP. Mr Mlenzana, I thought you had your hand up? Thank you very much.

Mr Z MLENZANA: Hon Chairperson, appreciating that fighting poverty is everybody’s business, I wish to ask the Deputy President whether any of the universities and/or technikons have been involved in coming up with fresh ideas and new modes of doing things to make antipoverty community projects viable, sustainable and profitable. I thank you.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Yes, indeed, there are a number of universities that pay attention to the efforts of combating poverty. They have come up with a number of very useful proposals, in particular with regard to the utilisation of the land.

I know that the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Stellenbosch, among others, have come up with a number of very good innovative ways of treating very barren soil and utilising the limited supply of water for irrigation. They also recommended vegetables and plants that help to enhance the ecosystem. These methods have now been incorporated into the work done by the Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform, trying to spread the method to communities that would otherwise not have access to such information and knowledge. I thank you.

Mr K A SINCLAIR: Thank you, hon Chairperson and hon Deputy President, we appreciate your frankness and we know you as an honest man in many things, also in the answer you gave us this afternoon regarding the issue of the buying of votes.

What would your position be in terms of the current situation which transpired in the Northern Cape, where by-elections are taking place today. Not more than a week ago, the department of social services actually closed offices. Officials of those departments were instructed to specifically go and canvass for the ANC, including by way of handing out food parcels.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: If the hon member has such information, I think he should drop the Public Protector a line to go into that. The Public Protector is authorised to do that and has the powers to investigate that. Whatever the outcomes are, we will live with them here. I thank you.

Position regarding offer of assistance to, and terms of engagements with Somalia

1. Mr M P Sibande (ANC) asked the Deputy President:

   Whether South Africa will offer assistance to Somalia as reportedly expressed by the African Union; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the terms of engagement with Somalia and (b) what are the further relevant details? CO362E

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Hon Chairperson, hon members, no final decision has been made as to what South Africa’s assistance to Somalia will be.

One of the most important aspects, as acknowledged by the African leaders at the Kampala summit, is that a military intervention alone would not resolve the Somali conflict. A comprehensive approach that addresses the political process, security and piracy is needed. As a result it is crucial that the search for a comprehensive, all-inclusive solution is stepped up.

The major challenge is broadening participation in the Somali political process to include an overwhelming number of parties, which will lead to an all-inclusive ceasefire agreement. This has to be done in co-operation with other African partners, in particular the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Igad - an organisation to which Somalia belongs.

The African Union, through the chair of the commission, approached South Africa to assist in relation to the contribution of troops, provision of equipment to support the troops, assistance to the maritime component, or funding for the peace mission, all of which would have financial and human resource implications for South Africa. In view of these implications, it is important that the matter first be discussed by our Cabinet before a decision is taken.

In the meantime, South Africa will consult with other interested parties on Somalia, like the Igad countries and the African Union mission in Somalia, on how best to support the political process and find a lasting solution in Somalia. I thank you.

Mr M P SIBANDE: Thank you, Deputy President, for your detailed reply. I would like to put a follow-up question: Does this mean we are not giving in to pressure by the United States of America, USA, and the European Union, EU, for South Africa to go to Somalia? I ask this because the perception exists that we are being pressurised by them. Thank you.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: No, we will not give in to any such pressure, if it exists at all. This is a matter that was discussed at the summit of the AU in Kampala, and we will consider it in that context. Thank you.

Mr T D HARRIS: Chairperson, I would like to ask if the Deputy President believes that the instability in Somalia poses a security risk or a terror threat to either South Africa or the international community.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Yes, indeed, I do believe that the situation and instability in Somalia pose a security threat to the whole continent. As you know, even in the deep seas there are pirates who are known to have hijacked a number of oil tankers for ransom. That is why the AU recognised that it’s a challenge which would not submit to simple militaristic intervention. It requires or demands a much more comprehensive response, precisely because of its nature.

As South Africa, we have to be circumspect regarding the role we play, because we would not want to invite onto our shores problems that are extraneous. For that reason, we will play our role within the AU and United Nations, UN. Thank you.

Mr D B FELDMAN: Hon Chairperson, Deputy President, the problems of our continent very quickly become our own problem as people migrate south to run away from their countries’ problems. I therefore wish to ask: To what extent is government using the Pan-African Parliament and the African Union to deal with political instability, tension and conflict to help afflicted Africans north of our borders? I thank you.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: That’s a very big, broad question which doesn’t have to do with Somalia but with peace and stability on the continent. I leave it to the Deputy President, if he would like to respond to it.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I concur, hon Chairperson. I’m in difficulty as well. Thank you.

Mr D A WORTH: Deputy President, if the SA National Defence Force, SANDF, and its personnel get involved in Somalia, it will probably be at a higher level of intensity than in any other conflict area we have been involved in in Africa. We will have to be prepared to take casualties. It’s a different, insurgency type of operation there.

I want to ask the Deputy President: Can I trust that before we commit any Defence Force personnel, they will have the required logistical background needed for what is really going on there and that they will be trained for that type of operation? Thank you, Chair.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: As I said, there is no decision to deploy the SANDF personnel to Somalia. Somalia is a very difficult proposition in the sense that there is no state in Somalia. Therefore it is not as if you’d be going there to assist the state to deal with a challenge or a problem. The mission itself would not be a simple peacekeeping mission because there is no peace. There is no state. The place is under the domain of a number of families who have their own armies. It is really a much bigger problem than we’ve ever dealt with before. So, I think before any decision is arrived at, all of these factors would have to be taken into account. Thank you.

Mr R A LEES: Deputy President, given the dire situation that you described in … sorry, I have forgotten the country – Somalia, is it the position of South Africa to discourage our citizens from travelling to that country and is that advice being given to people who make contact with government departments regarding travel to Somalia?

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Well, as I said, there is no state in Somalia, so there is not even direct transport to Somalia. As a state, we certainly wouldn’t encourage anyone to travel to Somalia because, in the first place, yes, it is a failed state. There is nothing.

As you know, historically, Somalia was two different colonies; one part was a British colony and the other a French colony. After independence they merged to create Somalia as we know it today. The one part is predominantly Muslim, and the other part is predominantly Christian and English-speaking.

At one point, war broke out between them and the citizenry of the former British colony was almost exterminated. They survived; they have pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps; they have a thriving economy; they have a parliament; they have their own army; and they call themselves Somaliland. This part, which is recognised as Somalia, is without a state and there is utter chaos, every day.

At the end of last year they bombed graduates - students who were graduating at universities - and killed them. Last week they bombed the meeting of what remains as government there. So, it’s a difficult, very difficult, situation. It is not the kind of problem that can be solved by the region or the continent alone. It is actually a Security Council problem. Thank you.

See also QUESTIONS AND REPLIES

The Council adjourned at 15:23. ____

            ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS

                      WEDNESDAY, 18 AUGUST 2010

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

The Speaker and the Chairperson

1. Classification of Bills by Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM)

(1)    The JTM, in terms of Joint Rule 160(6), classified the following
     Bill as a section 75 Bill:

      a) Magistrates’ Courts Amendment Bill [B 23 – 2010] (National
         Assembly – sec 75).

TABLING

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

1. The Minister of Finance

   (a) Report and Financial Statements of the Land Bank for 2009-2010, including the Report of the Auditor-General on the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa (Land Bank) for 2009-2010 [RP 95-2010].

2. The Minister of Public Enterprises

 a) Report and Financial Statements  of  the  Broadband  Infraco  (Pty)
    Limited for 2009-2010, including  the  Report  of  the  Independent
    Auditors on the Financial Statements  and  Performance  Information
    for 2009-2010 [RP 170-2010].

                      THURSDAY, 19 AUGUST 2010

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

The Speaker and the Chairperson

1. Draft Bills submitted in terms of Joint Rule 159

(1)    Local Government: Municipal Electoral Amendment Bill, 2010,
     submitted by the Minister of Home Affairs.


(2)    Refugees Amendment Bill, 2010, submitted by the Minister of Home
     Affairs.


(3)    Immigration Amendment Bill, 2010, submitted by the Minister of
     Home Affairs.


    Referred to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs and the Select
    Committee on Social Services.

TABLINGS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson (a) Strategic Plan for the Fourth Parliament 2009-2014.

     Available on Parliament’s website: www.parliament.gov.za
   

COMMITTEE REPORTS

National Council of Provinces

1. Report of the Select Committee on Economic Development on its Oversight Visit to Port Nolloth, Northern Cape, dated 01 June 2010.

The Select Committee on Economic Development, having undertaken the above oversight visit, reports as follows:

1. Aim of the Visit

The Select Committee on Economic Development undertook an oversight visit to the Richtersveld Municipality, Kammiesberg Municipality and Namaqua District Municipality to discuss the impact of the Socio-economic and Social Labour Plan of the mines on Local Government Municipalities and also to discuss their strategies and development towards achieving service delivery. The oversight visit took place on 16-18 March 2010.

The Committee also visited the Kleinzee-De Beers, Alexander Bay (Alexkor) and the Coignaas Mine to determine whether the social responsibility plans (SLP) are being adhered to by the respective mines towards their surrounding communities.

The Committee also visited the Community to hear from them if they were benefiting from the surrounding mines through the SLP and the form of such benefits.

1. Participants

Leader of the delegation: Hon. F Adams [Chairperson: Select Committee on Economic Development].

Members of the delegation: Hon, EC Van Lingen (Eastern Cape), Hon, MC Dikgale (Limpopo), Hon, S S Chen (Gauteng), Hon R A Lees (KwaZulu-Natal). Parliamentary support staff accompanying the delegation: Ms N G Dinizulu (Committee Secretary) and Mr J Van der Westhuizen (Committee Assistant) Kleinzee-De Beers

Mr S Ngcobo: Executive Director; Mr R Blake: Commercial Manager; Mr A Taylor: General Manager: Projects; Mr W Macdonald: Leader: Mineral Resource Rehabilitation; Mr D Cloete: Leader: Production and Engineering, Ms Nadia Williams: Mine Safety & Security; Mr G Klopper: Manager: Public and Corporate Affairs; Mr P Sparks: Operations Manager.

Provincial Department of Mineral Resources: Mr W Spiesens: Senior Inspector of Mines: Mr J Nieuwoudt: Deputy Director Mineral Laws

Alexander Bay (Alexkor): Mr W Basson: Mine Manager; Mr B Lategan: Acting Chief Financial Officer; Mr C Wilmans: Acting HOD Alexkor Security; Mr K Landers: Chief Safety Officer; Mr M Mpanza: Mine Engineer and Deputy Mine Manager

Richtersveld Municipality: Mr R Ambrosini: Mayor; Mr A Jansen and Ms E Hasiku: Councillors; Mr J Cloete: Municipality

Kammiesberg Municipality: Ms S Cloete: Local Economic Development Officer; Mr M Klaase: Mayor

Namaqua District Municipality: Mr I Groenewald: Head: Economic Development; Mr B Vass: Speaker

1. Briefing by Richtersveld Municipality

The Mayor of the Richtersveld Municipality briefed the Committee. He informed the delegation that the Municipality serves five main towns namely Port Nolloth, Kuboes, Sanddrift, Lekkersing, Eksteensfontein and Alexander Bay. The head office is in Port Nolloth, which is by far the largest of the five towns.

Although each one of the towns has its own distinctive historical background, they all share similar problems. The available land is marginal farming land and communities have been historically denied access to large tracts of valuable mining, fishing, mari-culture and agricultural land.

Poor infrastructure and limited employment opportunities are but two of the serious economic challenges that the Richtersveld Municipality faces.

Mining has been the dominant industry within the Municipality and many of the poorer communities have been dependant on a family member gaining income from this industry. With the current economic crisis in the world, mining is not sustainable in the long term and the region is already experiencing the affects of downscaled production and retrenchments. This has increased the number of unemployed people returning to the rural towns.

Within the municipality there are limited numbers of work opportunities and the mines control most of the land where there are opportunities for industries such as irrigation agriculture and mari-culture. With the reaching of an agreement in the Richtersveld Land Claims Case this situation will now change drastically.

Tourism is seen as a possible job creator but almost all the successful tourism initiatives are controlled from outside of the region, including Springbok and Cape Town. Thus strategies for future livelihood options are based on communities gaining access to the land and resources with high agriculture, mari-culture and tourism potential. However, for these businesses to be successful, Richtersveld Municipality needs investment to maintain the infrastructure and for capacity building.

In 2008 the Social Responsibility Projects of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) were to be managed by the Municipality. When applications are successful they can play a big role in improving the tourism infrastructure in surrounding communities, provided they are planned properly and linked with the larger infrastructural network. This will hopefully promote the influx of tourists into the area now that the Transfrontier Park Richtersveld/Ai-Ais border between South Africa and Namibia has opened at Sendelingsdrift.

3.1 Development Indicators of the Approach:

In five (5) years’ time Municipal residents will be involved in a broad range of economic activities that can be measured by comparing the database compiled by the Municipality. Economic activities should be geared towards sustainable job creation that will result in an improvement in general of the standard of living in the entire Municipal area.

3.2 Approach to Achieving the Goals:

Strategic focus should be placed on the five most important industries in the region, namely tourism, fishing, mari-culture, agriculture and mining.

1. Kamiesberg Municipality

Kamiesberg Municipality contributes 7% to the Namaqua District economy. Currently there are three major economic sectors within the municipality, namely Mining, Livestock farming and Tourism.

Additional emerging sectors are also developing. They include mainly Aquaculture and Conservational ecological restoration. The Local Economic Development Forum was established to meet on a quarterly basis to discuss economic issues.

4.1 Mining • Mining industry is the region’s core employment source and is downscaling, mainly because mines are reaching the end of their production lifespan; • In this area there are big deposits of Wollostonite near Kheis and Lepelfontein; • A plant for the processing of the Wollostonite had already been built in Garies; • Testing of the processing plant is under way, and mining and processing Wollostonite will start in the nearby future; • A number of smme’s can be developed around this project; • PDI groups are encouraged to get mining rights for Lepelfontein deposits; • Large deposits of Mica are to be found in Tweerivier; • PDI’s need funding and support in the drafting of business plans; • Mining economists have to prepare a feasibility study plus a funding model and also have to research the markets; • Deposits of copper have been discovered at Rooifontein and Kamassies.

4.2 Mining Beneficiation • An agreement had been signed by the mining companies who are mining granite in the area to dispose their waste blocks to Kamiesberg Municipality for the manufacturing of tiles, table tops, thombstones, etc. • The Municipality started with the project in 2000, but were faced with a shortage of funding and equipment and it had to be revived. • Kamiesberg, situated in the succulent Karoo, is the only arid hotspot in the world. • Namaqua National Park lies in the Kamiesberg and is about to expand along the Atlantic ocean to the Groen River. • A National tourism asset can be established thus creating an increasing number of jobs. • Different tourism routes are proposed like flower routes, history routes, etc. • PDIs run Kookskerms on the same basis as a franchise, and they are well supported by CI and DBSA. • A Proposed sustainable regional economic hub, called the Living Edge, is to be developed on the old Koignaas mines. • It is envisaged that this development will create 300 permanent jobs. • This project will be in partnership with De Beers and Eden in Cornwill England. • This will be a multi-faceted project in that it will tackle social, developmental and environmental challenges.

4.3. Livestock Farming

The small farmers are beginning to organize themselves in cooperatives as legal entities to benefit from the government’s Boerbok project and a similar one from Shoprite Checkers

4.4 Mariculture

A Pilot abalone project was done by the University of Stellenbosch and it was found that abalone farming will be viable in this area. The EIA for a full abalone project is underway. It is estimated that 80 permanent jobs will be created and that SMME contractors can provide security and food for the breeding abalone.

4.5 Social Labour Plan (SLP)

The projects are identified for funding by Transhex, De Beers, Forest Oil and Finestone. The Forest Oil did not commit itself to fund the projects. The Municipality will make a follow-up with the Department of Mineral Resources.

4.6 Small Medium and Micro Enterprises

The following opportunities exist: repairing and replacement of fences on municipal farms, and the breeding, marketing and selling of Anatolian dogs to farmers.

4.6.1 Opportunities in the Tourism Field • Building and running of kookskerms • Homestays and guest houses to provide accommodation • Tourism guide business • Running of municipal-owned tourist facilities through outsourced management contracts

4.6.2 Opportunities in terms of Government-owned Infrastructure • Maintenance of buildings • Cleaning of buildings and premises • Maintenance of roads

1. Namaqua District Municipality

Geographically the Namaqua District Municipality (NDM) is the largest district, and has a small and dispersed population. Each local municipality has a small population, Following upon the Namaqua District Municipality (NDM), is the smallest the Karoo and the largest one is NamaKhoi. The bigger part of the population enjoys higher education whereas about 5% of the community has no schooling. About 5.1% of the population have HIV/AIDS, and this pandemic is growing rapidly due to a lack of accessible testing facilities. The mining sector is the largest contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (52%), but its contribution towards employing communities surrounding the NDM is declining.

1. Local Economic Development

The District Municipality embarked on the development of a Local Economic Development Strategy in 2008, and the document entails an assessment of the economic development and growth opportunities in the District and the implementation of strategies.

6.1 Growth Opportunities • Agriculture • Facilitation of land reform The utilization of state land for productive use and the finalization of land claims. The availability of coastal and productive land along the coast De Beers’ proclamation • Offering educational and financial support to emerging and community farmers In the Khai Ma Municipality, the state bought the farm Coboop, and it is developed along the Orange River. • The commercialization of hoodia farming • The development and expansion of mariculture parks in Port Nolloth

1. Mining The Namaqua District Municipality will ensure that all the mines in the area have approved the social and labour plans and that LED forms an integral part of mining companies’ social programme. About 90% of the mines have approved SLPs and business plans are being developed whilst some have already started with the implementation process.

6.3 Establishing SMMEs for Small-scale Development

The Namaqualand Development Agency was envisaged to assist with this function. However, the Council has disassociated itself from the Agency due to various reasons and the district had to opt for other alternatives.

A discussion with De Beers is under way to allow for and prioritize the inclusion of small miners from Namaqua into the mining model being developed as part of the proposed proclamation talks.

Expanding the value chain activities, especially beneficiation, is an area of neglect and miner focus. However, diamond cutting and polishing remains the vision. The SLP of Naroehuis Dimension Stone mine near Concordia focuses on the granite cutting and polishing to be implemented soon.

Discussions with De Beers are taking place on its proposed proclamation process and the access of land for sustainable development. These matters are important priorities. 6.4 Electricity, Gas and Water

The building of a dam along the Orange River is a priority, and investment in this regard is urgently needed. Various SLPs mention the assistance towards electricity and water networks. The important priorities are the desalination of water in the Port Nolloth /Hondeklip Bay areas and the upgrading of the electricity network in Hondeklip Bay.

6.5 Construction

The EPWP is currently utilized to assist in the construction of roads, houses, schools, etc. The tarring of the Garies/Hondeklip Bay road has been prioritized as this will ensure that the areas are developed to its full potential. Government services are prioritized; however more is required with regard to education and health.

The Nama Khoi Municipality also requested investment proposals on various prime land areas. Furthermore, the possibility of building a mall is investigated to form part of the spatial development plan.

6.6. Implementation

An implementation plan is based on the establishment of a District Development Agency and on monitoring and evaluation by the Namaqua District. A possible PPP can be looked at to tap into the experiences of Anglo Zimele’s Development Hubs. This will need engagement with the mining houses.

1. Alexander Bay (Alexkor)

7.1 Background

The history and outcomes of the Richtersveld Community (RVC) land restitution claim in respect of Alexander Bay is detailed. The details of the initial claim and the Deed of Settlement, that was finally made by an Order of Court in October 2007, were set out and explained. It was reported that a final settlement comprised a number of requirements, ie a transfer and restoration of a portion of the land to the RVC. The land mining rights of Alexkor would be transferred to the community.

A Pooling and Sharing Joint Venture would have to be set up. Alexkor would contribute R200 million, via capitalization from the State, to this programme. The mariculture and agriculture assets of Alexkor were transferred to the community. A sum of R190 million for reparation purposes would be paid to the Investment Holding Company over three years. Two payments were received from the Richtersveld Communal Property Association, namely R50 million for development and R45 million for compensation for Alexkor’s occupation on transferred residential properties for ten years.

A township would be established at Alexander Bay and environmental rehabilitation has to take place. Alexkor would retain the marine mining rights, but these would be under the control of the Joint Board of the Joint Venture, as would the land mining rights of Richtersveld Mining.

The project’s success would depend largely on the upgrading of municipal services. An engineering services assessment and a draft had been designed, and the Development Bank of South Africa was to implement the project. The Kwesi V23 Engineers were appointed by Alexkor to manage the project from preliminary phase to execution phase.

7.2 Scope of Upgrade

(i) Phase 1 The process of upgrading will commence with the following: Sewer Network, Potable Water Network, Storm Water Control, Road upgrades, Solid waste disposal and Cable ducting. The total costs and duration estimated for Phase 1 and Phase 2 is R130 million. The estimate for phase 1 was R52 million and the tender price was R42 million. Phase 1 will take approximately a year. The duration of phase 2 will be confirmed after the second tender process had been finalised.

(ii) Phase 2 Electrical and Mechanical installations:

7.3 Current status

The project was scheduled to commence on 1 March 2010. However, it had been delayed for one to five months due to a Heritage EIA.

7.4 Job Creation

Approximately 50 to 79 job opportunities at an unskilled level would be created. Measures are being implemented to ensure that all six towns in the Richtersveld community benefit from this project. Job opportunities from semi-skilled to skilled level will be confirmed after a scheduled meeting, involving all parties, had taken place.

7.5 Mine Health and Safety Over the past year Alexkor embarked on a rigorous campaign to enforce and instill proper Health and Safety practices to ensure a better and safer working environment for the company and its employees.

About 1 000 Fatality Free Shifts were achieved by the 25th of November

1. The efforts and contributions of employees and contractors towards this remarkable achievement were recognized. This achievement was celebrated jointly by all the employees and contractors of Alexkor on the 14th of December 2009.

7.6 Human Resources

Alexkor’s Human resources’ procedures were reviewed and updated in November 2009 and Alexkor’s first Performance Management System was established in 2009.

7.7 Reduction of the Post Retirement Medical Aid Liability

Alexkor has made material changes to the underlying medical aid plan to reduce liability to a more reasonable and affordable amount to ensure continued commercial viability of Alexkor and to retain the sustainability of its operations as well as to secure pensioners’ future benefits with regard to medical aid cover.

Alexkor has reduced the liability by R48 million, from the R135 million down to R87 million. The plan is to reduce the liability to an estimated R55-R60 million from the current amount of R87 million. 7.8 Challenges

  • Limitations for long term planning
  • Availability of funds
  • Shortage of manpower

1. Sanddrift Community

The following concerns were raised and issues were put forward for a discussion:

• The Community of Sanddrift  reported  that  there  were  no  permanent
  doctors in their modern and well equipped hospital;
• The issue  of  racism  among  the  community  members,  hospitals  and
  workplace was raised;
• One of the community members raised  a  concern  about  an  injury  at
  Alexkor and declared  that  up  to  now  he  had  not  been  paid  any
  compensation;
• Heritage tourism is unique in the area and therefore the  municipality
  and government should be serious in  promoting  local  communities  on
  tourism;
• Subcontractors are complaining  that,  when  they  are  subcontracted,
  Alexkor requires 52% of their income without contributing  a  cent  to
  the job;
• High rate of accidents as result of  bad  roads  between  Alexkor  and
  Kubus;
• The communities  complained  about  unfair  evictions  from  the  mine
  houses;
• There are no proper  facilities,  e.g.  schools,  hospitals  and  play
  grounds;
• The communities also mentioned that they are prepared to move  to  the
  RDP houses provided that Government builds better houses;
• Property rights do not exist  in  Alexander  Bay   for  the  following
  reasons:
     o Renting is not secure;
     o No opportunity to invest;
     o The community members who have worked at the mine for many years
       cannot  purchase  a  property  in  Alexander   Bay   for   their
       retirement;
• Fire fighting in the community - Joint Rescue Committee with  Transhex
  and Richtersveld Community.
• Community must find an alternative to mining;
• Road to Kuboes was destroyed by a tornado five years ago and  had  not
  been repaired as yet;
• Richtersveld Restitution Land Claim  is  now  in  place,  however  the
  people are still without jobs and  there  are  no  benefits;  and  the
  implementation of the settlement agreement needs to be monitored;
• The Chairperson of the Community Property Association  (CPA)  was  not
  present;
• Community has problems with CPA and Pooling and Sharing Joint Venture;
• An urgent call for the empowerment  and  management  training  of  the
  committees of these organizations;
• Settlement Agreement is not implemented;
• Mariculture project is not open to  the people  and  the  project  was
  closed down by the Richtersveld Agricultural Holdings Company;
• Small-scale marine miners complained about  the  5%  royalties  to  be
  paid;
• The inequality of deals offered to the contractors;
• Problems with mining and prospecting rights in the area;
• Due to climate change, shallow water miners have had  sea-mining  days
  reduced from 150 to 20 days; it was an in-house  project,  and  miners
  lost 80% of the mining fleet in last two years;
• On 24 June 2008 M Temba CEO /  Chairperson  of  Alexkor,  investigated
  finances and  the  qualifications  of  the  Alexkor  board  and  other
  directorships ;
• Port Nolloth has no water at night; and
• A good technical high school is required.

1. Kleinzee De Beers 9.1 Objectives

De Beers is actively conducting earthmoving and ecological restoration and rehabilitation to reduce the mining footprint. It is also exploring different land uses as an alternative to mining to create longer term socio-economic activities.

The Company seeks other win-win opportunities to offset rehabilitation costs against economic development projects. Kleinzee is defining a process for progressive reduction in the overall liability through systematic sign- off of areas defined as rehabilitated (earthmoving and restoration component).

Currently the focus is on safety, engagement of stakeholders, benchmarking for the arid West Coast and to achieve the rehabilitated sign–off of 866 ha by DMR. Small scale mining requires a rehabilitation plan that is being compiled at present. The mine has about 1.7 million carats left or 100,000 carats for 17 years. A new mining model has to be compiled with • Economic viability and sustainability for SMMEs; • Reducing rehabilitation liabilities; • Legal framework adjustments required.

9.2 Social Labour Plan: Community Development and Poverty Eradication Programmes

PROJECTS TOTAL SLP |Livestock Farmers/Gardens |R 600 000 | |Early childhood Development |R 630 000 | |Multipurpose Centre |R1 250 000 | |Community upliftment programmes |R1 000 000 | |HIV & AIDs |R 145 000 | |Rural Educational Assistance |R1 200 000 | |programme | | |Mathematics and Science Schools |R 340 000 | |programme | |

9.3 The Social Labour Plan Revision • The need to review and submit amendments to SLP became apparent; • Objective is to review the De Beers Namaqualand Mines Social and Labour Plan - with a view of aligning it with the developmental imperatives for the Namaqua District in conjunction with all the relevant stakeholders; - Ensuring that the funds committed in terms of the SLP are optimally utilized for the best benefit of communities, while taking into account those projects driven by the De Beers Namaqualand Mines that are currently not included in the development framework for the District; - Positioning the projects agreed upon as a recorded, integral part of the Local Economic Development strategy for the District; - Enabling De Beers to submit an amendment of the SLP that is in tune with the socio-economic needs of the District and based on smart objectives

The Department of Mineral Resources has to review and approve the following social labour plans. Corporate Social Investment |Kleinsee Primary School |R21,2 million | |Steinkopf Community Hall |R2 million | |Oukiep Training Centre |R780,000 | |Nababeep and Dr van Niekerk |R300,000 | |Hospitals | | |Small farmers projects |R630,000 | |Rural educational upliftment in 3 |R1,250,000 | |communities | |

9.4 Kleinzee Abalone Farm • The first phase of a 100 tons per annum production unit is under construction; • It is designed to be expanded to 100 tons per unit; • The platforms are ready for a 200 tons per annum production; • 1,500 tons of water per hour (sea and recirculation pumping); • The 360 fibreglass tanks of 5x2m; • Seven seaweed production dams for feeding, water purification and heating; • Approximately 81 jobs were created with immediate effect and 182 jobs will be created for full production;

9.5 Future Potential for Marine Aquaculture

  • Multifold expansion of current facilities;
  • Hatchery (short to medium term);
  • Ranching (medium term);
  • Expansion to processing other Mari-culture and by-products;
  • Many other opportunities exist due to the availability of sea water
    and infrastructure;
  • Introduction of additional investors/marine  aquaculture  companies
    in the area.

9.6 Kleinzee Correctional Centre Proposal

De Beers proposed to have a correctional facility of 1 000 beds at the Old Dreyerspan single quarter complex. This should consist of a rehabilitation centre and training facilities. De Beers had already made a pre-feasibility contribution, supported by local communities. Government support is now needed. The anticipated timelines for the project to kick off should be 2011 to December 2012, provided that approval had been granted by December 2010. 9.7 Benefits

About four to five communities, namely Richtersveld, Nama Khoi, Kamiesberg,and Namakwa are the beneficiaries of targeted trusts. Economic benefits will flow directly to local communities. The abovementioned communities will take full control of the trust.

9.8 Tourism Development

The Tourism initiative was launched by the De Beers Namaqualand Mines in

1. This took place in order to develop the tourism sector on the Namaqualand coast. It operates under the brand name “Diamond Coast - Forever Namaqualand”. The Tourism offices are situated in Kleinzee. One of the sites of the De Beers Diamond Route is a joint initiative between De Beers and E Oppenheimer & Don and Ponahalo that was recently launched.

9.9 Integrated Tourism Development

The Integrated Tourism Development is represented on the Nama Khoi Local Tourism Association. Officials of the Northern Cape Department of Environment and Nature Conservation are co-opted to serve in committees. Fully bilingual guides are trained by the Field Guides’ Association of the FGASA, THETA and DEAT and they are accredited and qualified in First Aid Level III. Wide arrays of privately run accommodation establishments in the area are affiliated.

9.9.1 Functions • Manages De Beers properties where tourism is conducted; • Co-ordinate tourism-related activities; and • Acts as a Local Tourism Forum

9.9.2 Reasons to Proclaim the Towns

Having the current mining settlements of Kleinzee and Koingnaas proclaimed into public towns are key to: • Unlocking sustainable local economic development; • Diversification and development; • Reduction in reliance on mining; • Improved regional socio-economic integration

9.10 Business Opportunities Kleinzee had been approached by a number of investors interested in investing in these towns, including the establishment of: • Factories for light manufacture, e.g. foodstuffs, steelwork and fog nets; • Hospitality and catering establishments; • Educational facilities, including a Medical University and transforming the current Primary School into a Focus School; • Properly developers, including residential gold estates; • Power/energy generation, including a Gas Refinery and a Nuclear power station in the longer term; • Tourism; • Crafts and Arts training and retail; • Automotive and general engineering service; • Government Departments; • Professional practices, e.g. Legal and Social Work.

9.11 The Living Edge of Africa Project (LEAP)

The vision of the project is to recast the legacy of mining into a thriving economic hub and a model of sustainable development, creating low-carbon enterprises and jobs based on conservation and innovative technologies. Enterprise nodes create synergy around the use of seawater, freshwater, energy, nutrients, humidity, temperature differentials and tourism or interpretive activities.

9.11.1 Project Progress to Date

The pre-feasibility study had been completed and reviewed in September

1. A feasibility study is under way and focuses on certain identified components and initiatives that form part of the project.

Conservation International contracted to conduct fast-tracking of initiatives such as: • Land Art – pilot; • Engagement with marine aquaculture investors; • Feasibility on Seawater Greenhouses; • Institutional arrangements to be finalized; • Investigation on renewable energy (wind) ongoing; • Studies regarding conversion of Koingnaas and Hondeklip Bay to “green towns”; and • Feasibility to complete these initiatives by April 2010.

9.11.2 Potential of Employment via Living Edge of Africa Project (EAP) • Employment to be created by specialist companies in the respective sectors; and • Emphasis on the implementation of projects with high potential for employment.

The exact employment figures and timelines are currently not available. By the end of 2013 the total employment will grow by 500.

9.11.3 Wind Generation project

South Africa needs additional electrical energy. Eskom is encouraging industry to construct renewable energy power generators (wind, solar and water). Namaqualand coastline had been identified as a suitable region for wind power.

It is of great interest for many companies to construct wind farms. Fourteen companies requested to be included on the enquiry list. De Beers owns mined-out areas that are available for wind generation plants. Companies had been invited to make proposals, taking into account the interests of the local community and region.

1. Recommendations by the Committee

   • Investigate and follow up on the Richtersveld Land Restitution Settlement as the facts disclosed by municipalities do not coincide with those expressed by the communities. • The Committee must monitor progress that has been made with the employment of a medical officer at the Alexander Bay hospital. • Follow up on the promulgation processes of Alexander Bay including o Identifying the responsible institution for promulgating phases o Phase 1 projects and progress made by the implementing organization - either Alexkor or the Richtersveld CPA - and o Phase 2 projects and progress. • Investigate housing in Alexander Bay o Who is currently in command of the houses in Alexander Bay o The evictions by Alexkor, and who are being allocated houses at present and on what basis are these houses allocated o What is the remaining term of the agreements for renting these houses o What happens to the amount of R45 million, paid by Alexkor as rental; who is the recipient of the money and what is happening to the funds. • Complete the investigation of the Small-Scale marine and land mining industry considering: o The current position of Alexkor and the secret transactions after Alexkor obtained diamonds from miners; o Rehabilitation plan for small-scale miners; o Revising the royalty rates to Alexkor paid by the small scale marine miners; o Investigating historically royalty payments for the past 5 years; o Revising the payment ratio between Alexkor and small-scale marine miners; o Legal framework adjustments; o Follow up on the timelines of the Richtersveld Settlement Claim and the transfer of the mine to the people; • Follow up on the promulgation processes of Kleinzee including the project delivery commitments and timelines; • Investigate the Richtersveld Community Projects in regard to: o Agriculture o Mariculture o Conservation / Game Reserve o Rehabilitation

                    FRIDAY, 20 AUGUST 2010
   

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

The Speaker and the Chairperson

1. Introduction of Bills

 (1)    The Minister of Home Affairs


      a) Local Government: Municipal Electoral Amendment Bill [B 27 –
         2010] (National Assembly – proposed sec 75) [Explanatory
         summary of Bill and prior notice of its introduction published
         in Government Gazette No 33478 of 20 August 2010.]


          Introduction and referral to the Portfolio Committee on Home
          Affairs of the National Assembly, as well as referral to the
          Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM) for classification in terms of
          Joint Rule 160.


          In terms of Joint Rule 154 written views on the
          classification of the Bill may be submitted to the JTM within
          three parliamentary working days.

TABLINGS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson a) Report of the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers for 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009.

                    TUESDAY, 24 AUGUST 2010
   

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

The Speaker and the Chairperson

1. Draft Bills submitted in terms of Joint Rule 159 (1) Voluntary Disclosure Programme and Taxation Laws Second Amendment Bill, 2010, submitted by the Minister of Finance. Referred to the Standing Committee on Finance and the Select Committee on Finance.

2. Introduction of Bills (1) The Minister of Finance

   (a) Taxation Laws Amendment Bill [B 28 – 2010] (National Assembly – proposed sec 77)

      Introduction in the National Assembly (proposed sec 77) and
      referral to the Standing Committee on Finance of the National
      Assembly, as well as referral to the Joint Tagging Mechanism
      (JTM) for classification in terms of Joint Rule 160, on 24
      August 2010.
   
   
      In terms of Joint Rule 154 written views on the classification
      of the Bill may be submitted to the JTM within three
      parliamentary working days.
   

   (b) Voluntary Disclosure Programme and Taxation Laws Second Amendment Bill [B 29 – 2010] (National Assembly – proposed sec 75) [Explanatory summary of Bill and prior notice of its introduction published in Government Gazette No 33476 of 20 August 2010].

      Introduction in the National Assembly (proposed sec 75) and
      referral to the Standing Committee on Finance of the National
      Assembly, as well as referral to the Joint Tagging Mechanism
      (JTM) for classification in terms of Joint Rule 160, on 24
      August 2010.
   
   
      In terms of Joint Rule 154 written views on the classification
      of the Bill may be submitted to the JTM within three
      parliamentary working days.
   

National Council of Provinces

The Chairperson

1. Referral to Committees of papers tabled 1) The following paper is referred to the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development for consideration:

   a) Report of the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers for 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009.

TABLINGS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

1. The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development a) Submission of Policy Directives issued in terms of section 79(13) of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977 (Act No 51 of 1977) as amended by section 10 (b) of the Judicial Matters Amendment Act, 2008 (Act No 66 of 2008).

National Council of Provinces

1. The Chairperson

(a)     National Policy Framework on Child Justice, drafted and
    submitted for tabling in terms of section 93 of the Child Justice
    Act, 2008 (No 75 of 2008).
    Referred to the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional
    Development for consideration.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

National Council of Provinces

1. Report of the Select Committee on Social Services on the Social Assistance Amendment Bill [B 5B - 2010] (National Assembly – sec 76), dated 24 August 2010:

   The Select Committee on Social Services, having considered the
   subject of the Social Assistance Amendment Bill [B 5B - 2010]
   (National Assembly – sec 76) referred to it and classified by the
   JTM as a section 76 Bill, reports the bill without amendments.
   

   Report to be considered WEDNESDAY, 25 AUGUST 2010

TABLINGS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

1. The Acting Minister of Energy

(a)     Amendments to Articles VI and XIV.A of the Statute of the
    International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), tabled in terms of
    section 231(2) of the Constitution, 1996.

(b)     Explanatory Memorandum to the Amendments to Articles VI and
    XIV.A of the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency
    (IAEA).

COMMITTEE REPORTS

National Council of Provinces

1. Report of the Select Committee on Finance on the South African Reserve Bank Amendment Bill [B 10 - 2010] (National Assembly - section 75), dated 25 August 2010:

   The Select Committee on Finance, having considered and examined the South African Reserve Bank Amendment Bill [B 10 – 2010] (National Assembly – section 75), referred to it and classified by the JTM as a section 75 Bill, reports the Bill without amendments.

   Report to be considered.