Parliament, Sunday, 5 March 2023 – The residents of Sarah Baartman District also supported the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill [B13-2021] during public hearings that took place yesterday in Jansenville in Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality. Sarah Baartman District was the third district in the Eastern Cape where the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources conducted public hearings on the Bill.
At Jansenville Town Hall where the hearings were held, participants who included individual residents, ward representatives, representatives of farmers and business organisations appreciated the committee for descending to their district to afford them an opportunity to express themselves on the Bill. In supporting the Bill they urged the committee to come back to their district when the Bill is law to check its implementation.
The participants appealed to the committee to ensure that the stipulation in the Bill on prioritisation of local content should remain like that when the Bill is law. They said to them the correct meaning of local content is the people living in the Sarah Baartman District communities.
Furthermore, the participants highlighted the problem of private ownership of the land which to them is going to create problems when petroleum and other mineral commodities are discovered. They said these commodities are going to be discovered underneath a privately owned land and the owner is going to claim ownership and that will diminish the objectives of the Bill.
Sarah Baartman District participants repeated a call which was made to the committee in Port St Johns and in East London public hearings to ensure that the people on the ground are empowered with relevant skills so that by the time mining takes place in their district they don’t become spectators or hired as cheap labour because of the lack of skills. The Bill received an overwhelming support from Sarah Baartman District.
The participants called on the committee to ensure that the government addresses the challenges of energy and electricity in the country as the translation of what is contained in the Bill depends to a greater extent on reliable energy and sustainable provision of electricity. They said if these challenges persist and worsen, the hope which is promised by this Bill will be a pie in the sky.
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Sahlulele Luzipho, appreciated the inputs the committee received from the people of Sarah Baartman during the public hearings. He said all of their contributions will be considered when the committee deliberates on the Bill after it has listened from the people in all the provinces. He said those who might have more views on the Bill can make written submissions and email them to aboss@parliament.gov.za or to akotze@parliament.gov.za
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON MINERAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, MR SAHLULELE LUZIPHO.
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