Preparations for the Provincial Public Hearings on service delivery

Meeting report

Preparations for the Provincial Public Hearings on service delivery

The Chairperson tabled the draft programmes for the Committee’s planned visits to three provinces- Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Mpumalanga.

The Committee Secretary explained that Members would be divided into three groups, with each delegation responsible for a province.

The Chairperson asked Members to comment on the programmes.

Ms G Borman (ANC) asked if Members knew which Provinces they were going to.

The Chairperson replied that there was a list, which was being circulated in the meeting, for Members to choose which province they preferred to visit.

Ms M Wenger (DA) wanted clarity as to who Members would be meeting in those provinces.

The Chairperson explained that they would be meeting with stakeholders, local municipalities and the public.

Ms W Nelson (ANC) suggested that municipalities had to present their Service Delivery Budgets to the respective delegations. She also wanted clarity on the process that was used to select the municipalities that they were going to visit.

Mr Sonwabile Ngxiza, Researcher, Parliamentary Research Unit, explained that there was a background document which was used to determine which municipalities should be visited. Members would be furnished with a copy of this document when they arrived at their respective provinces. He added that factors such as the level of protest action and corruption (in a municipality) were also considered as part of the equation.

Ms Khanyisa Nayandya, Communication Officer in Parliament, indicated that they had advertised the public hearings in the newspapers and would also advertise on local radio stations by the following week. She added that they would draft the questions so that there was uniformity in all three Provinces.

Mr M Waters (DA) asked why the newspaper adverts did not make mention of the venues for the public and why one of the Mpumalanga municipalities had cancelled the Committee’s visit.

The Chairperson replied that the Municipality in question had feared for the safety of the Committee Members. Members had to make their decision on how to handle what was happening in that municipality.

Mr P Mathebe (ANC) asked who had authority to chair the meetings and public hearings in those different Provinces.

The Chairperson replied that certain Members had already been identified to chair the different meetings and public hearings.

The Committee Secretary informed Members that catering had been arranged and the services of interpreters had been procured for all the municipalities that will be visited.

The Chairperson recommended that Members who were going to the same Province had to meet and finalise the Programme with the Committee Secretaries and to arrange the most appropriate accommodation. .He advised Members to find out what the problems were, what was working and not working in those Municipalities. Members would debate all the findings when they returned.

The meeting was adjourned.