Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes with amazement the refusal of the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans to provide full information about flights undertaken by President Zuma, Deputy President Motlanthe and herself;
2) further notes that such refusals on the part of the Minister constitute a breach of trust and a violation of the obligation for Parliament to conduct oversight of the executive;
3) notes, in addition, that this refusal would seem to be a deliberate attempt to cover up huge costs incurred to fly VIPs overseas and around South Africa; and
4) therefore calls upon the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans to immediately provide a full and detailed report on the costs, service providers, and destinations of flights undertaken for all members of the Cabinet over the past six months.
Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes the unacceptable manner in which the ANC supporters and MECs in the Northern Province are positioning themselves with regard to the detention of MEC John Block;
2) further notes the urgent necessity to stamp out the belief that there is one law for the elite in government and another law for the rest of us;
3) acknowledges the undesirable meting out of one form of treatment for Mr Block and another for other detainees considering that the law must not only have equal application, but must be seen by all to have equal application; and
4) recognises the continuing manifestation that South Africa in 2010 is a regnant democracy, where one party has been in power for too long, and where, as a result people in government have come to believe that they are above the law.
Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes that the livestock farmers in the Baviaans and Couga mountains as well as the Elands River and Groendal areas, have planned a meeting with the Department of Environmental Affairs for Friday 5 November 2010 where no less than 12 agricultural associations met to discuss the leopard problem in livestock and game farming in these areas; 2) further notes that the Department of Environmental Affairs, who initiated and confirmed their attendance at the above meeting, recalled all their officials from attending;
3) acknowledges that the leopards conserved and protected by the farmers at present which currently roam the area outside the Baviaans amount to at least 70, whereas the farmers had to eliminate only 28 in the last two years;
4) acknowledges that the stock and game losses due to the leopard predation amount to about R1,4 million over the last two years;
5) requests the Department of Environmental Affairs to immediately face their responsibility and reschedule the meeting with the farmers to discuss and resolve the way forward to not only protect the viability of farming operations but to also prevent the job losses with it;
6) requests the government that, since 35% of the land, estimated at about 250 000 ha, where these cats roam belongs to the state -
a) they fence and protect their properties according to the game fencing regulations as is expected of any other individual who farms with the big cat species; and b) they see there is sufficient food for the leopards in the Baviaanskloof state land.
Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes with utter contempt the horrendous accident involving the family of a Tshwane metro police officer, Mr Chris Fourie, his wife Jenny Fourie, and their three children who were badly injured when their car was hit at high speed by another car suspected to have raced through a red robot while taking part in drag racing, which is a common and notorious occurrence every Sunday in many parts of our cities and public roads;
2) takes this opportunity to condemn in the harshest possible terms such disregard for the safety of our communities by heartless and irresponsible mavericks; and
3) calls on all metro police and traffic departments across South Africa to wage a war against drag racers who continuously hold our communities at ransom and subject them to the deadliest dangers of their selfish and reckless antics that are nothing but a show of disrespect for our laws and the constitutionally enshrined rights of our communities.
Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes that 20 farms have been abandoned and a further 144 farms were found to be unproductive in the Free State province alone under the land reform programme;
2) further notes that the Department of Rural Development and Land Affairs should therefore concentrate their resources on these unproductive and abandoned farms to ensure the future sustainability of emerging farmers; and
3) acknowledges that experienced extension officers with sufficient resources and better mentoring by existing successful farmers, together with recapitalisation from the department, are required to ensure future food security, rather than the quest for new productive commercial agricultural land which is then added to the irresponsible failed state farming enterprises.
Voorsitter, by die volgende sitting van die Raad sal ek voorstel:
Dat die Raad kennis neem -
(1) dat die dwase besluit wat geneem is om die veelbesproke en omstrede multimiljoen-rand wapentransaksie te staak, die ANC- regering soos 'n spook kom jag;
(2) dat die Staande Komitee op Openbare Rekeninge Adv Menzi Simelane, Hoof van die Nasionale Vervolgingsgesag, en Luitenant- Generaal, Anwar Dramat, hoof van die Valke, ontbied het om te verduidelik hoekom die ondersoek na die wapenskandaal gestaak is;
(3) dat die ANC-regering verder onder druk kom deurdat die Accountancy and Acturial Discipline Board, AADB, nou KPMG in Brittanje ondersoek; en
(4) dat die DA hierdie stappe verwelkom, omdat ons glo dat die waarheid aan die kiesers van Suid-Afrika en die wreld verskuldig is. (Translation of Afrikaans notice of motion follows.)
[Mr M J R DE VILLIERS: Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council: That the Council -
1) notes the foolish decision to end the investigation into the widely discussed and controversial multimillion-rand arms deal is coming back to haunt the ANC;
2) further notes that the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa, has summoned Adv Menzi Simelane, head of the National Prosecuting Authority, and Lieutenant-General Anwar Dramat, head of the Hawks, to explain why the investigation into the arms deal has been halted;
3) acknowledges that the ANC-led government has been placed under further pressure now that the Accountancy and Actuarial Discipline Board is investigating KPMG in Britain; and
4) welcomes these steps because we believe that the voters of South Africa and the world are owed the truth.]
Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes the damning forensic audit by auditors KPMG which showed how the Congress of the People wasted millions in public funds in its parliamentary allowance, including over R2 million on its aborted elective party conference in Centurion;
2) further notes that KPMG found that among the financial abuses were the following -
a) people not employed by Cope parliamentary caucus were being paid from parliamentary allowances, including three provincial youth secretaries, who were paid an amount of R213 000 in 18 months without valid employment contracts and an additional R28 000 was spent on their travelling costs;
b) a payment of R155 000 to their Johannesburg-based financial manager Pat Gamede whose employment contract was based on a verbal agreement with Shilowa;
c) an amount of R212 000 to cover legal fees incurred when the hon Mr D Bloem and the hon Mr L Tolo took Parliament to court to stop and/or contest their evictions from houses they were occupying at the Pelican Park parliamentary village;
d) an amount of R330 000 in petty cash withdrawals which took place from June 2009 to May 2010 and no receipts were provided for R110000 of the money;
e) stationery purchases of R739 000 over a year without a signed contract with the supplier; and
(3) takes this opportunity to condemn in the harshest possible terms such gross abuse of public funds and calls on Parliament to lay criminal charges against all those involved in this utter abuse of public funds.
Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes the failure of government to treat the owners of Aurora Mines, because of their political connections, in the normal way subject to the laws of the land;
2) further notes the further shameful failure of government to ensure that long-suffering miners and workers who were owed remuneration were paid out according to the prevailing laws of our country; and 3) acknowledges the further failure of government in allowing working and commercially viable mines, farms and other enterprises to collapse in the hands of new owners from the previously disadvantaged sectors.
Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council debates what the upgrading of an informal settlement means to people as part of a better life for all.
Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes the failure of government in ensuring that our schools are safe, that a code of conduct is enforced and that educators serve as exemplary role models; and
(2) further notes the failure of government to institute disciplinary procedures to deal promptly with educators who abuse pupils, engage in sexual activities with them, come to school late or do not come to school at all and those who come to school intoxicated.
Chairperson, I give notice that I shall move at the next sitting of the Council:
That the Council -
1) notes the signal failure of the Minister of State Security in not publicly and strongly distancing himself from his wife who is in court on serious charges of widescale drug trafficking;
2) further notes the further failure of the Minister in not standing aside for the duration of the legal proceedings against his wife; and
3) acknowledges the failure of government in not making a pronouncement on the matter considering its implication for intelligence and security in our country.