High tech house built on shifting political sands?

These (left and below) are artists impressions of how the newly revamped Eastern Cape legislature's main chamber will look when it is officially opened next year.

THE R33-million state-of-the-art Bhisho Legislature that will have the latest technology so allowing MPLs to play solitaire or obtain the latest cricket score during sessions will be officially opened when Premier Mbulelo Sogoni delivers his State of the Province address in February next year. Coincidentally the Provincial and Local Government department committee investigating among other things the future of the provinces and provincial legislatures will report at the same time and there appears to be a consensus emerging that the role of provinces will be downgraded.
That could result in functions such as primary health care and housing being devolved to local government level. The process will, however, be gradual and anyone betting on the seats on the provincial legislature gravy train being jettisoned is probably smoking the same substance as filtered into the Legislature on one occasion when Gugile Nkwinti was Speaker. On that occasion, two workers were sharing an, ahem, pick-me-up of the less than legal sort and the fumes appeared to have been sucked into the chamber by the airconditioning. Amazing how everyone there was able to identify that smell.

The new chamber (above) under construction last week and (below) as it was in the early days of Nosimo Balindlela's tenure.

Hurry up and wait ...

A 10am swearing in of new Eastern Cape Premier Mbulelo Sogoni is one thing that is not going to happen.

At 9.58 there was indication of when proceedings would start although outgoing Premier Nosimo Balindlela arrived a few moments ago and took up the seat she has occupied for the last four years - and the next few minutes.

Balindlela did not attend this morning’s ANC caucus and has announced her resignation as a member of the Legislature. She will, however, remain as a member of the Eastern Cape provincial executive committee of the ANC.

Chamber of the future or empty vessel?

Work underway gutting the inside of the Eastern Cape Legislature. Millions are being spent revamping the Chamber at a time when the very existence of the provinces is under review. This week's sitting is taking place in the Good News Centre while the work is underway in the Chamber.

Grub's up at the Good News Centre

The countdown to day three of the Bhisho Legislature sitting is underway and the MPLs who arrive early have already scooted through the Good News Centre to the room at the back where coffee, tea and grub is available.

Arriving early, they have discovered, is the only way to ensure you can snaffle a healthy handful of the biltong.

Question Time is first on the agenda today with the DA wanting to know whether senior staff in Housing and Health received performance bonus.

Then its policy debates again, starting with Health and then moving on through Housing and Local Government and ending with Finance.

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”.

The end of floor-crossing?

Two things are on the agenda for the Bhisho Legislature this morning:

• Consideration of the view of the Eastern Cape Legislature on repealing the crossing-the-floor legislation at national, provincial and municipal level, and
• Consideration of a report from the Legislature’s Local Government and Traditional committee on the Consolidated Municipal Annual Performance 2005/06

All parties have agreed that crossing-the-floor legislation must go. In terms of Section 74 of the Constitution the Legislature must express its view on the proposed amendment to the Constitution.

The MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs must submit this consolidated report to the Legislature in terms of the Municipal Structures Act on an annual basis.

It is believed the report is anything but flattering and there could be some tough talk in the Good News Centre today.