Parliament, Friday, 15 September 2017 – Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry today again met with Transnet and expressed its continued concern regarding what it perceived as not a serious effort to address localisation.

Committee Chairperson, Ms Joanmariae Fubbs, said: “The Committee is not fully satisfied with the responses provided by Transnet regarding the procurement of items locally manufactured. We will continue to seek in-depth written responses from Transnet.”

Ms Fubbs, however, made it clear that this concern does not only apply to Transnet and their acquisition of 1 064 locomotives but rather to State-Owned Entities (SOE’s) in general. “We need productive investment. Overseas companies should be persuaded to open local plants in order for us to have direct and effective skills transfer. This is currently not happening, as speedily as the Committee would like to see it happen.”

A request was made for the Committee to consider – in terms of Rule 227C of the National Assembly which states that Committees of Parliament may monitor, investigate or do an inquiry – instituting a Parliamentary inquiry into the matter. This decision was, however, put in abeyance till next term as today was the last sitting of the Committee for this term and it did not constitute enough members to take a formal decision on the matter. Ms Fubbs indicated that the Committee resolved to, in the meantime, draft the terms of reference for such an inquiry, should it be adopted by the Committee, to be presented when it meets in the new quarter in October 2017.

ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND INDUSTSRY, MS JOANMARIAE FUBBS

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