National Assembly - 07 March 2001
WEDNESDAY, 7 MARCH 2001 __
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
____
The House met at 15:03.
The Speaker took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS - see col 000.
QUESTIONS AND REPLIES - see that book.
NOTICES OF MOTION
Dr J BENJAMIN: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes the shocking and saddening news of a road accident involving South African teenage swimming champion, Natalie du Toit, which resulted in her leg being amputated;
(2) expresses its sympathy towards this aspirant South African Olympian; and
(3) wishes the girl a speedy recovery from her ordeal and offers her encouragement during these trying times.
[Applause.]
Dr J T DELPORT: Meneer die Voorsitter, ek gee hiermee kennis dat ek op die volgende sittingsdag namens die DP sal voorstel:
Dat die Huis, indien dit bewys word dat ‘n Potchefstroomse boer gepoog het om van sy werknemers te vergiftig -
(1) sy skok en afkeer in die sterkste taal uitspreek;
(2) vra dat die SA Polisiediens die saak baie deeglik sal ondersoek; en
(3) die plaaslike gemeenskap maan om selfbeheersing aan die dag te lê en nie onwettige stappe te doen nie,
sodat die pogings, asook die sukses wat behaal is, om die kommunikasiegaping tussen boere en hul werknemers uit te wis nie daardeur geskaad word nie. (Translation of Afrikaans notice of motion follows.)
[Dr J T DELPORT: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day I shall move on behalf of the DP:
That the House, if it is proved that a Potchefstroom farmer attempted to poison some of his workers -
(1) expresses its shock and disapproval in the strongest possible terms;
(2) requests the SA Police Service to investigate the matter very thoroughly; and
(3) cautions warns the local community to exercise self-control and not to take illegal steps,
so that no harm is done to the attempts at, as well as success achieved in, bridging the communication gap between farmers and their employees.]
Inkosi M W HLENGWA: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I will move:
That the House -
(1) notes that Tioxide, a company operating in KwaZulu-Natal, has graciously offered to sponsor computers for the Amazibu Primary School in the Imfume Circuit;
(2) congratulates Tioxide on its generous offer that will undoubtedly improve the education of our children;
(3) notes that the Amazibu Primary School will not be able to accept the generous offer from Tioxide as there is no electricity at the school;
(4) calls on the Government to accelerate its programme of rural electrification; and
(5) further calls on Eskom to give priority to the electrification of rural schools.
Mr A R AINSLIE: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes the destruction of the Buddha statues in Afghanistan;
(2) further notes that the contributions made by the Buddha to the growth and development of civilisation were, are and will always remain salutary;
(3) believes that the destruction of the statues of Gautama Buddha does not augur well for religious tolerance; and
(4) deplores and condemns this action, and urges the Taliban government in Afghanistan to preserve and respect the cultural heritage of all religions in Afghanistan.
[Applause.]
Mr H A SMIT: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House -
(1) notes the growing internal political battle within the ANC, which has resulted in a shameful mudslinging campaign by the ANC against the former Mpumalanga premier Matthews Phosa, and that this is not an example of democracy;
(2) together with the DA, wishes Mr Phosa every success in his legal actions against his former colleagues;
(3) condemns the comments by ANC spokesperson, Jackson Mthemba, that Mr Phosa should rather have pursued the matter through party channels, and notes that this is further proof that the ANC regards its party as being superior to the state and notes that this attitude should be condemned, and is misplaced in our new democracy; and
(4) notes that the DA calls on the Government to step up its fight against corruption in the light of Mr Phosa’s statement that he has information at his disposal which reveals that corruption affects the uppermost echelons of ANC leadership.
The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Hon members, I would like to warn you again that motions cannot be moved on behalf of the DA. There is no DA in the House. You can only move a motion on behalf of your own party.
Ms ANNELIZÉ VAN WYK: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I will move on behalf of the UDM:
That the House -
(1) condemns with contempt the despicable actions of the farmer from Potchefstroom who allegedly poisoned 47 farmworkers;
(2) notes that his actions can only be described as barbaric and that it cannot be imagined that any circumstances exist that can lead to such an inhumane act;
(3) further notes that farmers, their families and farmworkers are already vulnerable and under threat of violent attacks, and believes that acts such as these perpetuate negative feelings and further destabilise an already volatile situation; and
(4) calls on the farming community to condemn this violent act in the strongest possible terms and to distance itself from this type of inhumane action.
Mr M R BALOYI: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House - (1) notes that the Home for All Campaign is still being criticised by several members of the opposition, and that the Leader of the Opposition and his lieutenants have so far refused to sign the Declaration of Commitment, and are actively mobilising members of the white community to reject this campaign;
(2) further notes that Cape Town academic Prof Wilmot James claims that the campaign is running out of steam;
(3) believes that this is a negative view that is unhelpful and could be misconstrued as advocating inaction; and
(4) calls on all South Africans to support the Home for All Campaign and congratulates Antjie Krog, Mary Burton, Carl Niehaus and other initiators of the campaign on their contribution to nation-building.
[Applause.]
Dr M S MOGOBA: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move: That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) the Parliamentary Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry
visited the Lesotho Highlands Water Project from 23 - 25
February 2001;
(b) this large water scheme involving three dams at present is one
of the success stories of Africa, involving two African
countries; and
(c) our water requirements, particularly in Gauteng and parts of the
Free State, may be fully met;
(2) congratulates the Lesotho and South African planners, engineers, funders and workers involved in this project;
(3) urges that the water needs of the people of Lesotho be urgently addressed; and
(4) encourages the government of Lesotho to speed up the tourism potential of this project for the sake of the people of Lesotho and our entire Southern African region.
Mr J P I BLANCHÉ: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House -
(1) notes that Reserve Bank Governor, Mr Tito Mboweni, last week said that the political turmoil in Zimbabwe is still affecting South Africa’s economy through its adverse effect on investor sentiment;
(2) notes that, as a direct result of President Mbeki’s change of attitude towards President Robert Mugabe, the rand/dollar exchange rate showed a positive change for a couple of days, but has since slipped back;
(3) calls on President Mbeki to display a sense of urgency in putting South Africa’s interests first by taking a brave and courageous stand against the President of Zimbabwe’s disrespect for the justice system, his blatant disregard for the rule of law and his indifference towards human rights; and
(4) therefore supports any active steps taken by President Mbeki which would positively influence the South African economy, and which would bring us on the high road of the African Renaissance and the Millennium African Recovery Programme.
Ms F I CHOHAN-KOTA: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes -
(a) the founding of an independent newspaper, ``The Swaziland
Guardian'', in the Kingdom of Swaziland; and
(b) the intention of its founders to give untrammelled expression to
democratic opinion emanating from all quarters, including civil
society; and
(2) congratulates the initiators of this project and expresses the hope that the newspaper will mark a turning point for the fostering of freedom of expression and democracy in that country.
[Applause.]
Ms S C VOS: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the IFP:
That the House -
(1) notes the assurances given recently in this House by the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development that long-awaited legal assistance to the poorest of the poor in our land will soon be a reality within our system of justice;
(2) anxiously awaits confirmation that this legal representation will finally be made available to the hundreds of thousands of women throughout South Africa who, daily, seek justice and assistance with regard to issues directly related to child maintenance; and
(3) recognises that the present situation in which child maintenance defaulters can receive legal aid, and yet women seeking succour for their children cannot, is totally untenable.
Mr L M KGWELE: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes -
(a) the massive demonstrations in New York, Washington DC, and other
cities of the USA in support of the South African Government's
thrust to secure generic medicines in the teeth of opposition
from the pharmaceutical multinational corporations;
(b) the international campaign undertaken by developing countries to
secure affordable drugs for the poor; and
(c) an initiative by two US Senators to prevent the government of
that country from taking punitive action against developing
countries that import and manufacture generic drugs; and
(2) expresses its consternation that opposition parties in this Parliament appear more concerned with promoting the interests of wealthy corporations than with the health of the poor in this country.
Dr P J RABIE: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House -
(1) notes, with serious concern, an article published in The Economist of 24 February 2001 (South African survey) stating: ``The United Nations expects the Aids epidemic to knock 0,3%-0,4% off the growth rate each year, making South Africa’s GDP in 2010 17% or $22 billion lower then it would have been otherwise’’;
(2) calls on the Government to allow antiretroviral drugs such as AZT and Nevirapine to be made available in public hospitals;
(3) acknowledges that if immediate proactive steps are not taken to address the serious threat that HIV/Aids poses to the entire fabric of South African society, some companies may lose 40%-50% of their skilled employees within the next 10 years; and
(4) notes that a skilled healthy workforce is a crucial variable regarding the productive operation of sophisticated equipment in industry.
Mr S ABRAM: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move:
That the House -
(1) notes with dismay the continued disruption of postal services as a result of strike action; (2) condemns the incidents of violence that have been perpetrated, which the opposing sides are blaming each other for; and
(3) urges both management and employees to resolve this matter in a responsible manner, remembering that collectively they are responsible for providing a vital service to the South African public.
Nkskz C I GCINA: Somlomo, ndenza esi siphakamiso egameni likaKhongolose:
Sokuba le Ndlu -
(1) iqaphele ngovuyo nemincili ukuchongwa kweKhayamnandi Secondary School njengesinye kwezilishumi elinesihlanu ezithe zabalasela ekuphuculeni iziphumo xa kuthelekiswa nonyaka ophelileyo;
(2) iqaphele ukuba ezo ziphumo zinyuke ukusuka kwi-54% zaya kutsho kwi- 76,4%;
(3) iqaphele ukuba nenani lokuphunyelelwa kwezifundo zenzululwazi linyuke ngokuncomekayo; (4) ikuvume ukuba oku kusisiphumo semizamo nemigudu yeSebe leMfundo noMphathiswa uKader Asmal ekubuyiseleni imfundo kwisimo esamkelekileyo; nokuba
(5) ivuyisane nabantwana, ootitshala, abazali noluntu lwaseKhayamnandi jikelele ngalo msebenzi mhle kangaka. (Translation of Xhosa notice of motion follows.)
[Mrs C I GCINA: Madam Speaker, I would like to propose the following on behalf of the ANC:
That this House -
(1) notes with great joy and happiness that Khayamnandi Secondary School was chosen as one of the 15 schools whose matric results improved tremendously when compared to those of the previous year;
(2) notes that those results rose from 54% to 76,4%;
(3) notes that the pass rate in science subjects increased dramatically;
(4) acknowledges that this is as a result of the efforts of the Department of Education and Minister Kader Asmal in ensuring that education is put at a standard that is acceptable; and
(5) congratulates learners, teachers, parents and the general Khayamnandi community on a job well done.]
Mr P A GERBER: Mr Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the House I shall move on behalf of the ANC:
That the House -
(1) notes -
(a) with shock the unacceptable picture of a very skewed unchanging
pattern of representivity in the public service in the Western
Cape provincial administration;
(b) that the province has not reached the target prescribed by White
Papers on affirmative action and transformation, public service
regulations and the Employment Equity Act; and
(c) that the Western Cape is worst of all the provincial
administrations in the country and that this situation cannot be
tolerated at all ...
[Interjections.]
(2) calls upon this DP-led province to take decisive steps immediately because this unfortunate situation impacts severely on service delivery and obscures our political agenda, as Government, of accelerating service delivery; and
(3) calls upon the provincial government to take decisive and urgent steps to make the public service more gender sensitive and representative.
[Applause.]
CAPE ARGUS CYCLE TOUR
(Draft Resolution)
Mr G Q M DOIDGES: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House -
(1) notes that the annual Cape Argus Cycle Tour, which is amongst the most important sporting events on South Africa’s sporting calendar, takes place on Sunday, 11 March 2001;
(2) recognises that Ministers P M Lekota and M V Moosa, and many Members of Parliament from all parties, regularly participate in this gruelling 109-km cycling race, thereby making a positive contribution to our campaign “Getting the Nation to Play”; and
(3) calls on Members of Parliament and other South Africans to join thousands of participants in this year’s event and those in years to come.
Agreed to.
COMRADES MARATHON
(Draft Resolution)
Dr G W KOORNHOF: Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the House -
(1) notes that -
(a) one of the most famous and greatest sporting events in South
Africa, namely the Comrades Marathon, takes place on national
Youth Day, 16 June 2001;
(b) this race stretches over 89 kilometres between Durban and
Pietermaritzburg and last year celebrated its 75th anniversary;
(c) it has been described as the "ultimate human race" and binds
together thousands of South Africans in a spirit of camaraderie;
(d) the participants share courage, commitment, endurance, joy,
heartache, pain and pride; and
(e) in the year 2000 only one Member of Parliament started and
completed the Comrades Marathon;
(2) calls on all running-fit Members of Parliament to come forward and run the Comrades Marathon, if not on 16 June this year, then in 2002; and
(3) is of the view that -
(a) it will be a wonderful occasion if Members of Parliament, men
and women from various political parties and parliamentary
committees, join thousands of South Africans who participate in
this well-known ultramarathon; and
(b) it will demonstrate to our nation that MPs are not only fit to
do their job well, but also physically and mentally fit to
participate in such a tough event.
Agreed to.
The House adjourned at 17:24. ____ ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
TABLINGS:
National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:
Papers:
- The Speaker and the Chairperson:
Report of the Auditor-General on the Financial Statements of Vote 22 -
Land Affairs and the Registration of Deeds Trading Account for 1999-
2000 [RP 131-2000].
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
National Assembly:
- Report of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development on the RSA/Canada Extradition Treaty, dated 7 March 2001: The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, having considered the request for approval by Parliament of the Extradition Treaty between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of Canada, referred to it, recommends that the House, in terms of section 231(2) of the Constitution, approve the said Treaty.
Report to be considered.
-
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development on the RSA/Canada Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, dated 7 March 2001:
The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, having considered the request for approval by Parliament of the Treaty between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of Canada on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, referred to it, recommends that the House, in terms of section 231(2) of the Constitution, approve the said Treaty.
Report to be considered.