Deputy Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move on behalf of Cope:
That the Council urgently and fully debates whether the brutal and inexcusable killing of community activist Andries Tatane at the hands of undisciplined police officers during a peaceful service delivery protest in Meqheleng in Ficksburg was in vain, considering that a full year later the very issues ...
[Interjections.]
Hon Bloem, please hold on.
Deputy Chairperson, on a point of order: I don't know what the relevance of this motion is, precisely because the matter is before the court as we speak.
Are you saying the matter is sub judice?
Yes.
Hon Bloem, the matter is sub judice. Therefore, we can't deal with it.
Deputy Chairperson, if it was not for the long weekend, I would have debated this. There is a long weekend coming up and therefore I am not going to debate this now. [Laughter.]
Hon Bloem, for a change, just try to behave.
Deputy Chairperson, I will behave.
Voorsitter, daar is 'n gesegde in Afrikaans wat lui, "Ek meneer, jy meneer, wie sal die wa smeer?" [Chairperson, there is a saying in Afrikaans that is as follows in English: I stout and thou stout, who shall bear the ashes out?] You will hear something about this in my motion.
I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move on behalf of Cope:
That the Council -
1) debates whether the emphasis on the creation of a top-heavy structure within the Police Service, which has seen a heavy concentration on the appointment of generals, was not misplaced as anyone can see that this move has clearly devalued the role and importance of junior and middle-class police officials,
2) notes that the creation of a huge bureaucratic silo has begun to impact negatively on the police prioritising and fighting crime effectively;
3) further notes that because the generals are in their air- conditioned offices and no longer close to where the action is, they are unable to give attention to matters on the ground; and
4) therefore requests a full and proper examination of the structuring of the police with a view to determining whether it was appropriate, advantageous and correct.
Deputy Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the Council - 1) notes that the SA government is persisting with the implementation of e-tolling on Gauteng freeways, despite the extraordinarily high costs of collecting these tolls;
2) further notes that in the year 2013 the cost of collecting the toll revenue will exceed by R103,7 million the actual toll collected; and
3) deduces that no toll revenue will be available to pay for the actual costs of the freeway construction or its maintenance.
With all due respect, Mr Lees, we are all aware that this matter is before the courts. I am pleading with you to try by all means to not touch on such issues. Once a matter is sub judice, there is no need to discuss it until it is over and done with.
Deputy Chairperson, "sub judice" is exactly what hon Bloem was referring to just now. Hon Lees wanted to present a fact. The outcome of his motion will not affect the outcome of the court process. This is a highly technical matter. [Interjections.] I ask for an official ruling on the matter. [Interjections.]
Hon Van Lingen, please listen to me. My ruling on this matter is that it is still sub judice. Let us not argue about that. I know you will argue, but we are not going to continue like this. I have made a ruling.
Deputy Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move:
That the Council -
1) notes with utter dismay and shock the recent horrific gang rape of a 17-year-old mentally challenged girl from Dobsonville, in Soweto, where a group of boys and young men ...
[Interjections.]
Deputy Chairperson, on a point of order: This case is sub judice. [Laughter.] It is also before a court of law.
Hon Bloem, I agree with you. Hon Mncube, that is the ruling.
Deputy Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the Council -
1) notes that the Democratic Alliance condemns the interference of the office of the President in allowing the National Planning Commission Minister to establish an education forum in the Grabouw community without consultation with the Western Cape government;
2) debates why the National Planning Commission incorrectly proposed that the forum should attempt to solve the overcrowding of the school without consultation or including the Western Cape education department, which is in the process of finding alternative solutions, namely temporary accommodation for the learners; and
3) requests that the Constitution be respected and that the constitutional powers entrusted to the Western Cape government be respected.
Hon Joseph, may I draw your attention to one point? There was consultation. Before you say anything, please go back and read thoroughly. [Interjections.] That matter has now been agreed upon by all parties concerned. I am not going to open a debate about this. [Interjections.] Hon Sinclair, please take your seat. [Interjections.] I am rejecting your point of order. I have already indicated that I am not going to open a debate. I was just giving the hon member some information. [Interjections.]
Deputy Chairperson, with all due respect, the point of order that I want to raise is that it is inappropriate for the Chairperson to make remarks on issues that have been raised by hon members as notices of motion. So, I request, in terms of the Rules, that you refrain from commenting on the issues that hon members are raising, either as notices of motion or motions without notice.
Okay, I note that.
Deputy Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move on behalf of Cope:
That the Council debates -
1) Salga's funding model, which is stifling smaller municipalities against the poor performance records of most municipalities who lost, through fraud, corruption and other unaccounted-for wasteful expenditure, monies amounting to more than R10 billion, according to the Auditor-General's report for 2009-10;
2) that, as a Schedule 3A public entity in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, Salga should explain its expenditure priorities and list of donor funding, as well as its failure to comply with public finance legislation and regulations; 3) the 89% of municipalities that did not comply with legislation on service delivery performance, leading to municipal audit outcomes highlighting widespread failure to respect the Constitution and to deliver on basic human rights; and
4) the plight of smaller municipalities, like Beaufort West and the Overberg, which are being held to ransom by the high membership fees of local municipalities and metropolitan municipalities and who have to fork out R9,1 million annually to Salga and cannot pay their staff because they have already exhausted their annual budget.
Deputy Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of Council I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the Council -
1) notes that R2,1 billion is owed to the various water boards in South Africa by the various municipalities;
2) further notes that whilst the Department of Water Affairs attempts to ensure that water is supplied to municipalities, much of this water is lost due to poor or ageing infrastructure, as confirmed during the Provincial Week visit by delegates to the various provinces; 3) realises that Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality and Matjhabeng Local Municipality lose 33% of their water due to burst pipes and leaking taps; and
4) acknowledges that it is therefore not surprising that municipalities cannot pay the water boards when so much water is lost and not paid for and money will have to be ring-fenced to replace and repair infrastructure in future.
Chairperson, I hereby give notice that on the next sitting day of the Council I shall move on behalf of the DA:
That the Council -
1) notes that the school governing body of Graslaagte Primary School in Humansdorp, Eastern Cape had a mass meeting with parents on 25 April 2012, where all the stakeholders confirmed that the school would be closed as from 26 April 2012 due to -
a) nonpayment of five temporary teachers since January 2012; and
b) the fact that no appointment had been made since March 2012 in terms of the vacancy of a permanent teacher;
2) further notes that Graslaagte has 1 423 learners with 46 positions for teachers and only 40 permanently appointed teachers; and
3) calls on the national Minister of Basic Education to intervene in the situation, as the learners are severely adversely affected.