Chairperson, in terms of the powers vested in me by the chairperson of the committee, I submit this Bill for consideration and approval.
However, there are a few things that I want to mention in terms of the Bill in the event that they have not been captured well as a result of the misprints in this Bill. On page 3, line 5, omit "members" and substitute it with "persons"; on page 3, line 37, omit "more than once"; on page 3, line 57, after "shall", insert "immediately thereafter"; page 3, line 59, after "serve" insert "more", that is Clause two. Then, in Clause four, on page 4, line 43, omit "in" and substitute with "including but not limited to".
Having said that, I must add that this Bill has, of course, been agreed to by all parties in the committee, which is a very progressive move by all the parties, irrespective of affiliation.
The main aim of this Bill is to amend the Liquor Products Act of 1989. This Act makes provision for control over the sale and production for sale of alcoholic products for drinking purposes; the composition and properties of such products; the use of certain particulars in connection with the sale of such products; for the establishment of schemes; and for control over the import and export of such products.
This Bill now seeks to amend the principal Act in the following manner: It amends the composition of the Wine and Spirit Board to ensure it represents the entire industry; formalises the custom that the board, in advising the Minister on any aspect of the Act falling outside the ambit of schemes, first consults the interested parties; makes provision that products intended to form alcohol after their sale to the consumer also fall under the Act; amends the requirements of wine to conform to international standards and trends, which includes the proposal that this includes wine made from grapes of the genus Vitis and not only from the species vinifera as is the case at present; creates the framework of compliancy with the Republic's international obligations in respect of geographical indications; clarifies that schemes which are all administered by the board may only be established in respect of liquor products derived from grapes; ensures that the importation of liquor products is subject to the Republic's international obligations; makes provision for the regulation relating to quantity and marking of receptacles used in the production and storage of liquor products; and makes provision for regulations to allow the relaxation of requirements of a regulation or a scheme so as to enable more flexible application of this regulation.
I quickly want to add some other issues. In terms of the background and all that can be done, at present there is a project in the Northern Cape and Free State, which is part of this programme. However, a master plan for further development of the project over the next five years has been developed in collaboration with the department of agriculture of the Northern Cape, and will be submitted for official approval shortly.
Between 650 and 720 ha can be developed for processing of the participating sellers. It will not only provide entry to previously disadvantaged individuals in the wine industry, but also contribute largely to the upliftment of the various communities. The project will provide work for at least 400 people on a full-time basis, and for around 1 300 people on a part-time basis, with an estimated yearly wage income of R15 million. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]
Chairperson, just before you do put the question, may I say this is the second time this afternoon that a chairperson has started off a speech by indicating that there are printing errors or editing errors. One does then feel concerned that a Bill of this nature, or Bills of this nature, might well become printed in the unedited form. And I presume, sir, that there is a mechanism to make sure that this is not the case and that, in actual fact, before the President is asked to sign it, those errors will in fact be corrected.
Thank you, hon Ellis. As no amendment to a Bill can be moved from the podium, the purpose of reading them into the record is so that Hansard can record what the findings of the committee are in the final reading of the Bill, which is a good exercise.
These points will be brought to the attention of the NCOP because these Bills still have to go to the NCOP for concurrence. However, it is a good practice showing that Members of Parliament are looking at the final version of the Bill. So these points will be communicated to the NCOP for them to take them into consideration, but I think all parties must also alert their counterparts in the NCOP to look for these mistakes and rectify them. Thank you, Mr Ellis. There was no debate.
Bill read a second time.