Hon Deputy Speaker, hon members, one of the contentious issues raised by some of the organisations that made submissions, particularly institutions of higher education, was the matter of trade restrictions placed on council members and employees of universities. Azapo believes that it is unethical for people who sit in council meetings and on other council committees to do business with those universities. They are part of the budgeting process; they know what has been allocated and for what. That they are expected to recuse themselves when their tenders are considered does not erase the fact that they have inside information and therefore have an unfair advantage over the other competitors.
Briefly stated, Azapo says: Under no circumstances should council members have business dealings with their universities. Those individuals who decide to do business with universities should decline appointment to university councils.
We have grudgingly accepted conditions under which members of staff can be allowed to do business with their universities. If we are serious in our fight against corruption and graft, we cannot allow a situation where college council members take turns allocating business to each other while arguing that they were not there when decisions to award contracts were made. Basically, what happens is that while a member has recused himself or herself, the others are made to take care of his or her interests. So, they take turns awarding business to each other. Azapo therefore supports the Higher Education Laws Amendment Bill.