Ke a leboha, Motlatsi a Modulasetulo. Komiti e Kgethehileng ya Tshireletso le Ntshetsopele Ya Molaotheo e ile ya sekaseka State Liability Amendment Bill. Mme mabaka a Sekamolao ke ana a latelang.
Lekgotla la Molaotheo, ka mohla la 2 Phupjane 2008, nyeweng ya Nyathi le Letona la Lefapha la Bophelo bo Botle Profensing ya Gauteng le e mong, le tsebahaditse hore Karolo ya Boraro ya Molao ha e tsamaelane le Molaotheo wa Rephaboliki ya Afrika Borwa:
... hona hoo e sa dumelleng kotlo kapa ho haptjwa ha thepa ya mmuso; hape ha e fane ka mokgwa-tshebetso o totobetseng wa ho lefa melato yohle ya kahlolo.
Palamente e filwe dikgwedi tse 12 ho fetisa molao o lokisang hore Karolo ya Boraro e tsamaelane le Molaotheo, empa nako ena e ile ya eketswa ka kopo ya Letona la Toka le Ntshetsopele ya Molaotheo, ho fihlela mafelong a Phato 2011. Sekamolawana sena se etsetswa: ho theha mokgwa-tshebetso wa ho hapa thepa ya mmuso; le ho theha mokgwa-tshebetso wa ho sireletsa thepa ya bohlokwa ya mmuso. Lefapha le entse mohlala ka motjhini wa tlhwekiso ya madi oo e leng wa mmuso o nang le boleng, empa ha o ka haptjwa, o ka beha maphelo a bakudi kotsing.
Komiti e ile ya hlahisa dingongoreho tse latelang ka Sekamolao sena. Mmuso o na le molao o bohlokwa-hlokwa ho Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo a Setjhaba, empa dikotlo tseo o di fupereng mabapi le bahlanka ba ikarabelang ba sa lefeng melato ya baahi, kapa ba sa ikamahanyeng le tshebediso e ntle ya ditjhelete, ha di hatellwe ho bahlanka ba ikarabellang.
Dikotlo di mabapi le dipehelo tsa Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo a Setjhaba tsa tshebediso e mpe ya ditjhelete ke bahlanka ba ikarabelang. Ditho di ngongorehiswa ke hore le hoja bahlanka ba bangata ba ikarabelang ba ne ntse ba sebedisa tjhelete ha bohlaswa, dipehelo tsa Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo a Setjhaba di ne di sa sebediswe ho ba otla.
Ba Matlotlo a Naha ba na le maikutlo a hore Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo a Setjhaba e fa lefapha ka leng matla a ho qosa mohlanka wa lona ya ikarabelang ha a sitwa ho phethisa boikarabelo ba hae ditjheleteng. Moikarabedi-Kakaretso o hlokometse hore Kgaolo ya 10 ya Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo a Setjhaba e fa ba Matlotlo a Naha matla a ho laela lefapha ho qosa mohlanka ya ikarabelang haeba lefapha le sa etse jwalo ka bo lona.
Kahoo, Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo a Setjhaba e dumella mmuso kaofela ho nka mehato haeba lefapha le sitwa ho etsa jwalo. Ho feta moo, e dumella Palamente ho nka mohato ka ho laela ba Phethahatso ho qosa mohlanka ya ikarabelang. Moikarabedi-Kakaretso o kgetha hore komiti e se ke ya kenyeletsa ditokiso sekamolaong e le matlafatso ya Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo a Setjhaba hobane dikgato tse boletsweng tsa Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo a Setjhaba ke tsona tse ka latelwang. Ditho di hlokometse hore Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo a Setjhaba kapa Molao wa Tsamaiso ya Matlotlo ha di sebediswe.
Komiti e ngongorehisitswe ke hore ha ho pehelo kahare ho Molao wa Boitlamo ba Mmuso e qobellang mohlanka ya ikarabelang ho phethisa hanghang dikahlolo kgahlanong le mmuso. Ditho di boetse di ngongorehiswa ke hore sekamolao ha se ame mebuso ya metso, se ama puso ya diporofense le naha fela. Komiti ya Tshebetso ya Toka le Ntshetsopele ya Molaotheo e kopa lefapha ho fuputsa hore mebuso ya metse e ka kenyelletswa na.
Komiti e dumetse hore e tla tjhaella monwana sekamolao, empa e kopa lefapha ho kgutlela ho yona nakong ya dikgwedi tse tsheletseng, le ditaolo tse arabelang dingongoreho tsa yona. Komiti e hlokometse hore dingongoreho tsa yona ka sekamolao di mabapi le kgoneho ya ho kenngwa tshebetsong ha sekamolao le boikarabelo ba mohlanka ya ikarabellang.
Komiti ya Tshebetso ya Tshireletso le Ntshetsopele ya Molaotheo e tshehetsa Sekamolawana sena. (Translation of Sesotho paragraphs follows.)
[Mr T M H MOFOKENG: Thank you, Deputy Chairperson. The Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development debated the State Liability Amendment Bill. Therefore, the reasons for this Bill are as follows:
The court, on 2 June 2008, in the case involving Nyathi and the Department of Health in Gauteng province and another, pronounced that section 3 of the Act did not correlate with the Constitution of South Africa:
...to such an extent that it does not allow penalties or the appropriation of state property; also it does not give a clear process of payment of all the penalties of the judgment.
Parliament has been given 12 months to pass a law that will rectify section 3 to correlate with the Constitution, but this period was extended at the request of the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development - up to the end of August.
This Bill has been designed to establish a process of appropriation of state; as well as to establish a process of the protection of state property. The department made an example with the blood purification machine of a very high quality which belongs to the government but which, if appropriated, could put the lives of the sick at risk.
The committee raised the following concerns about this Bill. The government has a very important law in the Public Finance Management Act, but the penalties contained in it in relation to the accounting officers who do not repay their debts for embezzling public funds, or who do not adhere to good financial management practices, are not emphasized in respect of the accounting officers.
The penalties are in line with the stipulations of the Public Finance Management Act which regulate financial malpractices on the part of accounting officers. Members are concerned that even though many accounting officers still use funds inappropriately, the stipulations of the Public Finance Management Act are not used to punish them.
National Treasury believes that the Public Finance Management Act gives each department the power to charge its accounting officers who fail to carry out their financial responsibilities. The Chief Accounting Officer has noticed that section 10 of the Public Finance Management Act gives National Treasury powers to instruct the department to charge an accounting officer if the department does not do so.
Therefore, the Public Finance Management Act allows government to take steps if the department is unable to do so. Furthermore, it allows Parliament to take steps by instructing the executive to charge an accounting officer. The Chief Accounting Officer has decided that the committee should not include corrections in the Bill for further strengthening of the Public Finance Management Act, because its stipulations could be the ones that could be followed. Members have noticed that the Public Finance Management Act or National Treasury is not utilized.
The committee was concerned that there is no stipulation in the Act which coerces an accounting officer to honour forthwith the penalties imposed by government. Members were also concerned about the fact that the Bill does not refer to local governments; it only refers to provincial governments. The Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development would like to ask the department to investigate whether local governments could be included.
The Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development supports this Bill.]
Debate concluded.
That concludes the debate. I shall now put the question. The question is that the Bill be agreed to.
In accordance with Rule 63, I shall first allow political parties to make their declarations of vote if they so wish.
Declaration of vote:
We in Cope support this Bill wholeheartedly. That is our declaration. [Interjections.]
Would those in favour of agreeing to the Bill please indicate as much.
HON MEMBERS: Yes.
Would those against please indicate that. As there are no votes against, the "Yes" votes have it; the majority have voted in favour.
Bill agreed to in accordance with section 75 of the Constitution.