Electoral Laws Amendment Bill
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 1 WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 ____ PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ____ The House met at 10:02 The House Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayer or meditation. The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY moved: That the House suspends Rule 290(2)(a), which provides inter alia that the debate on the Second Reading of a Bill may not commence before at least three working days have elapsed since the committee’s report was tabled for the purposes of conducting the Second Reading debate today on the Adjustment Appropriation Bill and the Special Appropriation Bill. I so move House Chair. Declarations of Vote: UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 2 Mr M WATERS: Chairperson, the wavering of the three day rule is a direct consequence of us having three months holiday from this Parliament. We become a sausage factory. We have pressurised all the committees to produce legislation at record speed. Yesterday in the Rules committee, we had a report from the high level panel whereby one of their concerns for Parliament was that we do not have proper public participation when dealing with legislation. We use it as window dressing. We do not take the inputs of the public seriously and this is one further example of how we are just using Parliament as a sausage machine. The DA will not be supporting this motion. Thank you. [Applause.] Question put. Motion agreed to (Democratic Alliance dissenting). The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: House Chairperson, I move with due respect the precedence be given to Third Order and Fourth Order as they appear on the Order Paper; which in simple language means that we will start our business today with Third UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 3 Order and Forth Order and if so agreed; and then revert back to First Order and Second Order. The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M G BOROTO): I now put the motion. I see you are standing already. I still need to put the motion., can you just wait? Question put. The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M G BOROTO): Okay. Hon Mente. Ms N V MENTE: No; we want to know the reason because yesterday we were lobbying that this motion must come first in the House. We agreed, now all of a sudden things change and we are not being told. Why must that be happening? What is the reason for it to happen like that? We cannot just be told that this is going to happen. The CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Chair, Parliament as an institution, is governed through consensus in terms of the UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 4 programme. We have consulted with many parties and indeed; there are some members of other parties who are not here now to debate this item. Therefore, it’s only prudent that we allow all parties to present their views on this matter. We can’t then put an item on the Order Paper when we have been informed by other parties that their members that are responsible for this area are not here at this time, we still continue as if we have not heard them. Indeed; what we had requested from all parties - by the way - first of all, this item had been put in all our programmes for debate tomorrow. We have brought if forward today. That is the consultation that we had with all parties. All of them agreed except the timing of where we are putting this item because there are some members of other parties that are not here now, that are meant to deal with this matter. As the ANC, we are in full agreement that indeed Third Order and Fourth Order can take precedence then we come back to First Order and Second Order because all parties at that time will have all their debaters in this House. UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 5 The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M G BOROTO): Thank you. With the explanation given ... Hon Mente Ms N V MENTE: No, that explanation is not satisfactory. Members were told to be here by 10’oclock. That’s what they are paid to do. It is even embarrassing for the Chief Whip to be telling us that are members who are not here. If he fails to whip his people in line, we shouldn’t suffer for that. [Interjections.] It is not our problem. [Interjections.] You must put your people in line. We are not going to be responsible for your own fault. Do not disadvantage us. [Interjections.] The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M G BOROTO): Thank you hon Mente. You have made your point. Hon Steeinhuizen is first. No, hon Steeinhuisen was up before you. Please take your seat. The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: House Chair, can I address you in terms of Rule 210 of the NA Rules? You would know that decisions are made in the programming committee by consensus. This matter was programmed last week by the programming UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 6 committee for the debate tomorrow. That’s what was agreed in the programming committee. We were approached and we agreed that we will have the debate today. We are just asking – so what? That is a very mature response but anyway, we agreed with the colleagues that we will have the debate today. We are merely asking for the debate to be later in the day. But if we want to take technical and really apply the rules, then frankly Rule 44 which was being used to get this on the Order Paper this way doesn’t apply because there had been a detailed determination for the sitting day made in the programming committee last week. This place has to operate by consensus and with reasonableness. I think it is very rich of the hon Mente who has only three members in the House today to start pointing out what the other Whips are doing. [Interjections.] The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M G BOROTO): Thank you. Having received the explanation, ... [Interjections.] No I think you got your chance EFF. Having received the explanation, may I now put the question? UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 7 Question put. Agreed to. CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE ON 2018 MEDIUM-TERM BUDGET POLICY STATEMENT FOR PROPOSED FISCAL FRAMEWORK Ms D G MAHLANGU: Hon Chairperson, hon members of this august House, the Standing Committee on Finance considered the 2018 Medium-Term Budget Policy Framework for the proposed fiscal framework tabled by the Minister of Finance on 24 October 2018. The tabled MTBPS included the revised fiscal framework for the 2017-18 financial year, and the proposed fiscal framework for the next three years. As per section 12 of the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act 9 of 2009, this is the report on the proposed fiscal framework. UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 8 In order to address the challenges of accelerating economic growth and reducing unemployment, poverty, inequality, the skewed pattern of ownership and production, the ANC envisaged a developmental state that will play a leading role by directly investing in underdeveloped areas and directing private investment. The committee notes that over the MTEF period, we have to ensure that the expenditure ceiling remains intact. Reprioritisation of R32,4 billion will take funding from nonperforming areas to fund the upgrading of informal settlements and the President’s economic stimulus and recovery plan. The resources for the economic stimulus and recovery plan will include a combination of reprioritisation changes to grant structures and in-year allocation amounts to more than R50 billion. A reprioritisation of R15,9 billion will go towards infrastructure programmes, supporting industrialisation, the EPWP. The additional R16,5 billion will be allocated to various UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 9 programmes, including funding to restore much-needed capacity at the South African Revenue Services. The committee welcomes these allocations, especially to the infrastructure and Sars, but the committee wants to see an implementation plan. IsiNdebele: Asisafuni “iscamtho” ... English: As you will be presenting your quarterly reports to the committee, going forward, as an oversight committee, we will be monitoring and evaluating the implementation plan as to how far you are in terms of implementing ... The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mrs M G BOROTO): Hon members, please take your seats. I think the noise is too high. Will you please take your seats? UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 10 IsiNdebele: Kkz D G MAHLANGU: Ngaphezulu kokuthi sizwisise besamukele ubujamo bethu beemali, sithokozela ingcenye yamaphensende amatjhumi asithandathu wesabelo seemali ezokufakwa emahlelweni wezepilo, wezefundo, wezehlala kuhle nawezokuthuthukiswa komphakathi eminyakeni ezako. English: However, the committee is concerned about the misalignment of NDP goals and infrastructure spending outcomes in all three spheres of government. This is a very important point to all members and members of the executive. We cannot tell ordinary members down there at the villages and townships, if they need a certain service that it is not under our jurisdiction but under that of another level of government. So, that integration is very important. It needs to be aligned so that we can give good service to our people. UNREVISED HANSARD NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018 Page: 11 More than ever, the country needs economic growth. The proposed fiscal framework and the MTBPS as a whole have to be evaluated in terms of the extent to which it contributes to investment, growth, job creation and the reduction of inequality.