Chairperson, the Select Committee on Petitions and Executive Undertakings, having considered the Cakwebe Petition, received by the office of the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces on 6 November 2017 and subsequently referred to the committee on 7 November 2017, reports as follows: The Cakwebe Petition was submitted to the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, on behalf of the Eastern Cape Black Fishers Association, by the chairperson of the association and the secretary of the association, Mr Mzamo Cakwebe.
On 3 August 2018, the committee held a hearing on the petition at Premier Hotel Regent, East London. The purpose of the hearing was to afford the petitioner as well as other relevant stakeholders the opportunity to make oral submissions to the committee on the subject matter of the petition submitted to the NCOP.
Following extensive deliberations on the submissions made during the hearings on the petition, the committee recommends as follows: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the DTI and Department of Labour are to establish an interdepartmental task team aimed at investigating and ultimately addressing the issues raised in the petition, including but not limited to the issues of the working conditions of chokka or squid fishers; the allocation of fishing rights
to black fishers in the squid industry; the amount that fishers get paid per tank of chokka or squid caught; and the amount that fishing companies get per tank of chokka or squid exported.
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Department of Labour, the DTI and Department of Transport are to appear before the committee within six months of the tabling of this report in the House and report to the committee on the progress made in implementing recommendations, except 5,1 to 5,5 above. [Interjections.] I put this report to be considered. Thank you
Thank you very much. That concludes the debate.
Chairperson, sorry that you were preoccupied while I was standing with my hand up trying to get your attention. [Interjections.]
You should have sought my attention.
Yes, but you were otherwise occupied and I respect it when you are occupied - always.
Can I hear on what point you stood up?
Chairperson, maybe you did not understand or couldn't hear the entire declaration of hon Ximbi. So through you perhaps you can just get in to quantify: If he is talking about fishes and fishing; then he refers fishing men. [Laughter.] Now, we are just trying to grasp: Were you referring to fishes, fishers or fishermen because like the previous declaration, he talks five times about the subject matter and then he talks again about the subject matter and the subject matter. Can he just quantify because really I don't understand fishes, fishing and fishermen. [Interjections.] What was it all about? That is why I need clarity.
Hon members, the hon member presented a petition. If there was anything that the member did not understand, you should have raised it whilst the member was on the podium. The minute he had to explain whether he meant fishes, fisheries and fishermen or women for that matter. Then it is all as saying represent the petition, which we cannot do.
Debate concluded.
Question put: That the Report be adopted.
Voting:
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
Report accordingly adopted in accordance of section 65 of the Constitution