Parliament, Wednesday, 25 April 2018 – The Select Committee on Social Services set aside Tuesday, 24 April 2018, to finalise the Border Management Authority Bill. Four Ministers of the relevant departments to the Bill were invited to be part of the finalisation meeting: the Minister of Home Affairs, who is the producer of the Bill and who submitted the Bill to Parliament; the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans; the Minister of Finance; and the Minister of Police. However, to the committee’s disappointment, only the National Commissioner of Police attended the meeting.
The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Landulile Dlamini, emphasised that the committee is committed to delivering a credible and watertight Bill. She reiterated the importance of deliberating on the Bill, particularly the finalisation of the Bill by the committee, in the presence of the ministers or deputies.
“We are politicians and on that basis we would ordinarily discuss the Bill and ask questions when they arise to the minister, not to officials, who are here to provide support to the department,” said Ms Dlamini.
The committee also expressed its unhappiness that the Department of Home Affairs had failed to convene a meeting between itself and the other departments, as it was directed to do by the committee to resolve some issues flagged by the committee.
Despite the absence of the ministers and their deputies, the committee gave the departments of Police, Finance, Defence and Military Veterans an opportunity to make presentations on the Bill. Ms Dlamini also assured the Department of Home Affairs that she is available to assist in facilitating that meeting if there are any challenges in convening it.
According to the committee, finalisation of the Bill depends on the departments meeting to resolve issues that are still unclear. “That meeting is very crucial between yourselves,” said Ms Dlamini.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SERVICES, MS LANDULILE DLAMINI.
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