Hon Chairperson, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, fellow South Africans, let me start by briefly outlining the principal objective of this Bill, which really is to fulfil South Africa's obligation as a contracting party to the 1972 International Convention for Safe Containers.
South Africa has been a contracting party to the convention since 1982. However, the International Convention for Safe Containers Act, Act 11 of 1985, an earlier attempt to implement the convention, was never put into effect. The promulgation of this proposed legislation will therefore repeal this Act. To repeal the International Convention for Safe Containers Act, Act 11 of 1985, and to provide for matters connected therewith, the convention set out the safety approval procedures of international containers for the administration of a contracting state or by an organisation acting on its behalf.
These approved containers will be identified by a safety approval plate, which is affixed to the containers under the authority of an administration. The safety approval plate contains relevant technical data about the container to which it is affixed. Once a container has been approved and plated, it should be possible to transport it internationally by land and sea. The minimum of safety control formalities, of course in accordance with the principle of reciprocal acceptance of safety approved containers, underpins the convention.
As already articulated by the chair of the committee, once promulgated the Bill assigns to the Minister of Transport all responsibilities for implementing the requirements of the convention. Previously, the functions concerned fell within the ambit of the Department of Trade and Industry. Regulations made in terms of the proposed new legislation will be administered and enforced by the South African Maritime Safety Authority, Samsa. In terms of the Bill, Samsa will be empowered to designate inspectors and direct inquiries into certain accidents and incidents.
The provisions of the Bill apply to international shipping containers of a prescribed minimum size, with devices fitted to allow for handling and stacking.
In a nutshell, the Bill proposes that the safety approval plate, which contains relevant technical data, should be used to identify an approved container. Thorough maintenance and repair of a safety-approved container will be the responsibility of its owner. The owner will be required to have the container examined periodically. Lastly, obsolete shipping containers will be disposed of according to prescribed procedures.
The chairperson was indeed correct that during the processing of this Bill, hon Farrow applied delaying tactics - in line with the agenda of the DA to delay Bills from being passed into law in this Parliament. This is of course to create a perception that this Parliament is actually not working. Thank you, hon De Freitas, because you were being quite objective. In fact, you defied your party by really supporting us, even at the level of the portfolio committee. The ANC supports the Merchant Shipping (Safe Containers Convention) Bill. Ngiyabonga, Sihlalo. [Thank you, Chair.]