Parliament, Sunday 4 March 2018 – On Tuesday, the National Assembly’s plenary sitting is scheduled to hold a debate on the Reserve Bank. The 85-minute discussion, to be introduced by the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, Ms Joanmariae Fubbs, is entitled: “Acknowledging the role, mandate and independence of the South African Reserve Bank, in line with international practice, to ensure full public ownership of the Bank”.
On Thursday, the National Assembly is scheduled to hold a debate on an urgent matter of national public importance: “The water crisis in the Western Cape, the City of Cape Town in particular, and in other provinces, and the impact it has on the country as a result of drought, global warming and other contributing factors”. Mr Ahmed Shaik Emam of the National Freedom Party is scheduled to introduce the 90-minute debate.
The Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises' inquiry into matters relating to State Capture continues this week. Minister of Home Affairs Mr Malusi Gigaba and Dr Ben Ngubane are amongst those scheduled to appear before the Committee.
The report of the Standing Committee on Finance on the Fiscal Framework and revenue proposals, which were tabled with the 2018/2019 Budget, is scheduled for consideration at Wednesday’s National Assembly plenary sitting.
Also on Wednesday, the National Council of Provinces plenary sitting is scheduled to consider the report of the Select Committee on Finance on the Fiscal Framework and revenue proposals.
Wednesday’s plenary sitting of the National Assembly is also scheduled to consider answers to questions for oral reply from Ministers in the peace and security cluster (Defence and Military Veterans, Home Affairs, International Relations and Cooperation, Justice and Correctional Services, Police, State Security). Answers to questions for oral reply from Ministers in the security cluster also feature at the National Council of Provinces plenary sitting on Thursday. The Minister of Police, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services and the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans are expected to appear at the National Council of Provinces’ sitting.
The 44 meetings of committees scheduled for the week have a range of items on their agendas, including a workshop tomorrow of the Multi-party Women’s Caucus. The workshop involves a summit with stakeholders on responses to the South African Law Reform Commission’s Project 107 Sexual Offences: Adult Prostitution report, in furtherance of the roundtable resolution on decriminalisation of sex work.
Bills for consideration at committee meetings are the National Credit Amendment Bill (initiated by the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry), the National Land Transport Amendment Bill, the National Health Laboratory Service Amendment Bill, the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Division of Revenue Bill. A wide range of public interest matters and annual, quarterly performance and financial reports of government departments and entities also feature at the scheduled committee meetings.
Committee meetings scheduled for the week include:
Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry: Response from Minister of Trade and Industry on State of the Nation Address and Budget Speech in relation to mandate of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); briefing by Minister on outcomes of World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting; response from DTI on submissions received on National Credit Amendment Bill (Tuesday)
Portfolio Committee on Transport: Final deliberations on National Land Transport Amendment Bill (Tuesday)
Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises: Inquiry into corporate governance at Eskom: Minister Malusi Gigaba (Tuesday)
Portfolio Committee on Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries: Briefing by StatsSA on food insecurity and agricultural activity in the country (Tuesday)
Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services: Discussion with Public Protector of South Africa on matters of public interest; briefing by Public Protector on request for additional resources (Tuesday)
Joint meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance and the Select Committee on Finance: Consideration and adoption of Fiscal Framework and Revenue Proposals Report (Tuesday)
Joint meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Police and the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services: Briefing by National Prosecuting Authority on progress and challenges regarding prosecution of state capture cases (Wednesday)
Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises: Inquiry into corporate governance at Eskom: Dr Ben Ngubane (Wednesday)
Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources: Follow-up meeting with Department of Mineral Resources on latest developments at Optimum Coal Mine (Wednesday)
Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform: Briefing by Dr Aninka Claassens on recommendations of High Level Panel on the Assessment of Key Legislation and Acceleration of Fundamental Change regarding land reform and rural development; briefing by Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and Ingonyama Trust Board on media advertisements to convert Permission to Occupy on Ingonyama Trust land to long-term leases (Wednesday)
Standing Committee on Appropriations: Briefing by National Treasury on 2018 Division of Revenue Bill (Thursday)
These are among key matters scheduled to come before committees of Parliament this week. For the full schedule of committee meetings (updated daily), please click: https://www.parliament.gov.za/whatson
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