Legislators meet to consider Pillay Commission report

The ad hoc committee on the Pillay Commission report that has been moribund for some two months will meet in the Bhisho Legislature.

The DA in the Legislature introduced a motion in the Legislature in Graaff Reinet earlier this month that was supported by all parties calling for the committee to meet and finish its work and that process will now start on Friday.

The task of the committee is to:

• Consider the process of receiving the report by the Legislature – it was only submitted to the Speaker after a motion demanding this had been passed
• Consider the report against the background that the Premier and Executive must be accountable to the Legislature and must therefore consider the report with due regard to the funds that the Legislature has voted to fund the commission
• Consider the report, the findings and the recommendations thereof, the appropriateness thereof for implementation by the Executive and investigate the steps taken by the Executive to implement the recommendations of the commission and
• Consider the terms of reference of the commission and to what extent they have been complied with.

Blobby Stevenson: Forever a lunch party supporter

At the lunchtime meeting called earlier this week by the ANC breakaway group it was possible to spot one or two “strangers” – members of the party who are strong backers of Jacob Zuma.

Strangest presence of the lot, however, was DA Bhisho MPL Bobby Stevenson.

Now any mention of a national convention or splits in the ANC excites the DA in a way that is akin to an invitation to dinner with Madiba. And the current official opposition – a position it might well lose if the “Terror” and his team perform as well at the polls as some are suggesting – are obviously eyeing the showdown between the ANC and those bent on forming a new party with relish.

(There could be some perks going out the window if that happens and a reduction in the speaking time allocated to the party!)

Any bets on how many DA supporters will join the new party that will be staunchly anti-communists? The phrase “rooi gevaar” has a particular effect on white voters. ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe thinks the DA will be a major loser.



Luke says: Good for you Bobby – the new party needs some heavyweights!

Pillay Commission: MPLs demand final report

The Bhisho Legislature has instructed the ad hoc committee into the Pillay Commission report to “reconvene as a matter of urgency” to finalise its report and submit it to the Legislature.

The Legislature, meeting in Graaff-Reinet, unanimously adopted a motion introduced by DA leader Athol Trollip that all called for “specific timelines to be established with regard to this report” so that it can be debated before the end of this year.

Introducing the motion, Trollip noted that the Legislature had voted R10 million for the commission headed by Judge Ronnie Pillay and that it was only after MPLs instructed the former premier Nosimo Balindlela to do so that released the report.

Initially the report of the ad hoc committee was to have been presented in July.

LUKE says: Good one Athol - this is not an issue that should simply be allowed to die. A number of serious allegations were made against senior politicians that were untested and that was quite wrong.

• Full report in The Herald tomorrow

ANC split: Eastern Cape Premier keeps his sense of humour

While the Legislature is abuzz with a possible split in the ANC, Premier Mbulelo Sogoni is clearly one of those who still finds some humour in the situation.

Introducing the tabling of his annual report, Sogoni commented on the earlier election of a new deputy-speaker and chairman of committees telling DA leader Athol Trollip that there was only one nomination for each position “and that demonstrates how united the ANC is”.

Chairman of Committees Sam Masoziwe was elevated to the position of deputy-speaker and Neo Moerane-Mamase takes over his position.

There seems to be general acceptance now that there will be some kind of split, senior members of the Legislature indicating yesterday that they expected the former deputy-minister of Defence Mluleki George to drive the new entity in the Amathole region while there was also a suggestion that former presidential spokesman Smuts Ngonyama might emerge as its candidate for the premiership of the Eastern Cape in the next election.

End to dry spell for Eastern Cape legislators?

Democratic Alliance MPL Bobby Stevenson’s water problems may be about to end.

Stevenson has been without water in his house in the government compound in Bhisho for three weeks but this morning received an SMS stating: “Supply to Legislature, Fort Hare and Bhisho CBD to be interrupted today in order to switch ministerial houses from low pressure to high pressure supply”.

The message came from the Buffalo City municipality.

Stevenson and others occupy houses in the “ministerial complex” that was once home to the members of the Ciskei cabinet when they are required to be in the provincial capital.

The problem according to Stevenson is that currently the houses are served by the lower reservoir and needed to be connected to the upper reservoir. Buffalo City maintains “this is the problem of the Amathole District Municipality as they are responsible for supplying water to the reservoir. Amathole District Municipality say it is the problem of Buffalo City Municipality”.

While Stevenson will know doubt be pleased to have water it will also provide comfort to his neighbours to know that Bobby will be bathing again.

If Zuma's ever in King ...

Democratic Alliance MP Stuart Farrow is one of the most popular people in King William’s Town at present.

Farrow has water and his DA colleagues in the Bhisho Legislature who have now been without water for three weeks at the houses provided by the Legislature and are hurtling down to Farrow’s house to shower.

DA MPL Bobby Stevenson is one of those affected and after endless complaints to the Buffalo City municipality who have offered promises and not much else this week took up the offer of the Legislature and moved into a guest house with his colleagues for the duration of this week’s plenary session.

Province awash with EIAs

There were 354 environmental impact assessment applications “pending” in the Eastern Cape at the end of March, Environmental Affairs and Tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has told the National Assembly.

Van Schalkwyk revealed that 93 applications were “pending” in terms of the 1997 EIA regulations and 261 in terms of those promulgated in 2006.

In reply to a written question from Gareth Morgan (DA), the minister said that there was a shortage of staff and even in provinces such as the Eastern Cape where there were only two vacancies at the end of March “a significant percentage of filled posts are occupied by case officers with limited experience”.

Nationally, Van Schalkwyk said the situation was improving with applications in terms of the 1997 regulations that were pending standing at 998 on March 31 this year as opposed to 5 859 at the end of June 2006..

With regard to the 2006 regulations, he said that some 70 per cent nationally were dealt with in the prescribed timeframes and “provincial authorities have started to express concerns that a new backlog might be forming … primarily due to capacity considerations”.

Computer error: The Blobster's on the case

Anyone remember the saga of the missing computers in the Ndlambe municipality (Port Alfred) when the municipal manager admitted that he “made a mistake” when he signed for 39 laptops worth R400 000, without checking whether they had actually arrived?

The DA’s Bobby Stevenson – affectionately dubbed “the blobster" by former DA leader Tony Leon - has not and has asked a question for oral reply this afternoon and to what progress has been made with the investigation.

Stevenson wants to know whether any disciplinary action has been taken or criminal charges laid and whether any steps have been taken to recover the money.

Ndlambe, however, needed not feel alone because Stevenson has unearthed the fact that six computers went missing in the Koukamma local municipality. These were not new computers they just held vital information such as salaries and details of municipal accounts.

Politicians cut back ... their lunchbreak

LUNCHTIME – we have saved 43 minutes on the day so far and with deputy-speaker Gloria Barry cutting the lunch break to 40 minutes the long weekend is looming. Some of the MPLs have their cars packed, petrol tanks full and attendance on the last afternoon is likely to drop off.

It’s all a bit reminiscent of the old pre-1994 House of Assembly, when MPs left their briefcases in the lobby outside the Chamber ready for a quick spring for the exit and the bus back to the parliamentary compound.

No joy for the DA’s Bobby Stevenson in the Safety and Liaison debate. The Blobster, as Tony Leon used to call him, was hoping to prise some information out of MEC Thobile Mhlahlo on the Standard House stand-off on Monday night (when police arrested a number of ANC members holding a sit-in protest at the party's regional headquarters).

Mhlahlo, however, told “the Honourable Bobby” that this was not a government matter but an ANC matter and the “ANC will deal with it”.

Eastern Cape backs floor-crossing law repeal

All parties in the Bhisho Legislature this morning supported repeal of crossing-the floor legislation.

All the nine provincial legislatures must express their view on the matter ahead of the tabling of the Constitutional Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendment bills that scrap the legislation at national and provincial and municipal level respectively.

Deputy-Speaker Gloria Barry told the Legislature that the Rules Committee had met and discussed the proposed measures and supported them.

DA leader Athol Trollip said the crossing-the floor legislation had been “bad” especially as the electoral system in South Africa was that of proportional representation (PR) at national and provincial level, although he acknowledged that the DA had supported it at the time.

In doing so, he said, “we undermined the democratic wishes of the people of South Africa” and had led to greed and “massive opportunism” with people being offered financial inducements.

“Cheque book politics became the hallmark in South Africa”.

The United Democratic Movement’s Masiza Mhlati said that “at last” his party’s view had been respected saying the legislation had favoured those who “wanted to fill their stomachs at the benefit of the people”.

He said the ANC had been the main beneficiary.

He pointed out that the legislation had led to the creation of single-person parties that had disappeared at the next election.

The ANC’s Neela Hoosain noted that it was the then Democratic Party that had initiated the floor crossing legislation, adding that the ANC had wanted the provision that 10% of a party was required to support any crossing the floor in order to prevent the creation of a “plethora of small parties”.

What had actually happened, she said, was that “the identity of parties had been diluted”.

She said people should be encouraged to identify with the party of their choice but that this should be based on “ethics”.

Policy speeches: A weird and wonderful process

The main business of the Bhisho Legislature this week will be the debates on the policy speeches presented by the members of the provincial executive committee last month.
It’s a weird and wonderful process.

• The portfolio committee chairman presents the report – he reads it. At the start of the week this takes 20 minutes but as Friday approaches it is generally reduced with only the findings and recommendations read.
• Questions are then put on the report to members of the committee by other members of the Legislature
• Questions on the report are then put to the MEC
• All the parties contribute their pennyworth
• The MEC replies.
• Each report should, according to the speaker’s list, take some two hours and 20 minutes.

The Legislature is meeting in the “Good News Centre” – quite inappropriate some would say – because the Chamber of the Legislature is being refurbished. The bill for this financial year is R10 million.