Hon members, before I continue with the Order Paper for today, I want to make two rulings, which I promised that I would do. Hon members, I would like to make a ruling on a point of order raised by hon Tolo during the plenary on Tuesday, 11 November 2008. The hon member objected to the notice of a motion that was moved by hon Ntembe; in particular the hon member objected to a statement by hon Ntembe that reads as follows:
That the hon Minister for Provincial and Local Government on national television made known the decision to reincorporate Khutsong into Gauteng province.
After perusal of the transcript of the interview material sourced from the SABC, I noted that the reference was made to the effect that Khutsong should be reincorporated into Gauteng. However, the hon Tolo was correct to say that the Minister went further to explain that he would be consulting with the communities of Khutsong, Moetse and Matatiele to get their views and to explain to them the processes that would be followed. I therefore rule that the reference to the reincorporation was made and therefore the notice of motion by hon Ntembe stands.
The second ruling relates to a point of order raised by Kgoshi Mokoena during our plenary on Wednesday, 19 November 2008. The hon member objected to a statement made by hon Worth on the grounds that the member was misleading the House when he said: "Members who attended the public hearings were bussed in."
After perusal of the Hansard transcript, I can confirm that indeed the member did say, "Members who attended the public hearings were bussed in". However, I would like to caution members that in terms of Rule 46(b) a member may not deliberately make a statement in Council which the member knows is false. That is what the Rule says. In this case, I am unable to verify whether indeed members of the public were bussed in to attend the public hearings or not.
However, let me conclude by saying that the Constitution also requires both the provincial and the national legislatures to facilitate public participation in the legislative process. Therefore, how this is done is a matter for discussion. Thank you very much.