Hon Chairperson, hon colleagues, the DA strongly supports the concept and programme of provincial weeks. They are a very effective way for us to perform oversight targeted at specific crosscutting issues between the local, provincial and national spheres of government.
Last week President Zuma said, "The NCOP provides a national forum for public consideration of issues affecting the provinces." It is clear that the Provincial Week programme is one of the best embodiments of that constitutionally defined responsibility.
We do, however, have several concerns about the way Provincial Weeks were run this past September. The first is the general principle of following up on issues that arise from provincial weeks. My more senior colleagues tell me that there has long been an issue of concerns being raised and not effectively dealt with. I hope that this, the first Provincial Week of the Fourth Parliament, is different, and that all the concerns that were raised are effectively dealt with, by this House and by the legislatures.
The second concern is an administrative issue. The ATC of yesterday published a version of the Provincial Week report that includes a theme that is completely different from the theme we used to conduct proceedings and therefore incorrect. In addition, the report included from the only DA- run province is not the version signed off by my provincial delegation. I understand that the reports of other provinces may also appear incorrectly. I hope these errors are corrected urgently - in fact, they must be corrected urgently. They reflect poorly on the NCOP.
My third concern is that the partisan attack the governing party in the Western Cape was subjected to in the provincial legislature is repeated in some form in this House. In my experience the NCOP tends to rise above party-political differences and collaborate on improving delivery and service, but in case any concerns are raised in the debate to come, allow me to make a few points about how the DA-led administration ran their Provincial Week. I will speak from the perspective of my role in the NCOP and the visit I went on up the West Coast.
Despite unwarranted criticism, the planning process was relatively open and consultative. I personally, as the provincial whip, consulted the Chief Whip on the draft programme in good time. It is true that her suggestion of a change of destination was not taken on board, but that was the prerogative of the ruling party in that province. How many other provinces even consulted the opposition parties in their provinces on their draft programmes?
The DA-led Western Cape was one of the only four provinces where the premier of the province personally met with and addressed the delegation.
Chairing of consultative sessions on the trip I went on was shared between the DA and the ANC and between the legislature and the NCOP. During hearings, the NCOP delegates and members of the legislature from all parties made no mention of party politics and interparty relations were excellent.
The issues that were dealt with during the site visits were critical. Certainly, I don't think you could find more important issues than the decline of fisheries, land reform and agriculture on the West Coast of the Western Cape.
Critically, the municipalities visited in the DA-led Western Cape were politically balanced. By my count, of the seven site visits in the province, three relevant municipalities are run by the ANC or ANC-led coalitions and four are run by the DA or DA-led coalitions - you couldn't be more balanced if you tried.
My fourth concern is an issue that the hon Watty Watson and the leader of the DA in the NCOP has already taken up. On 16 September 2009, he wrote a letter to our Chairperson, which reads as follows:
The DA caucus of NCOP delegates, at a meeting held today, considered the successes of the visits to their respective provinces.
By and large, the sentiments recorded at the programme committee meeting this morning were echoed by our members. A common factor was, in contrast to this, the sad state of local government in many of the provinces. This would indicate that we really need to spend much more time on oversight - particularly where we detect early warning signs.
Two very disturbing occurrences were, however, reported, which I would like you to investigate.
1. In KZN, the delegates were advised by SMS at 21h00 on Wednesday evening 09 September 2009, that the programme for the following day, Thursday 10 September 2009, had been cancelled because ANC delegates had to attend an ANC workshop. This left the DA and IFP delegates high and dry for the day.
2. A similar occurrence took place in the Eastern Cape when the events of Friday 11 September 2009 were cancelled to allow the ANC delegates to attend the ANC provincial congress.
The first event was also referred to by hon Lees in his speech today and the second confirmed by way of the motion presented by hon Qikane as an ANC delegate of the Eastern Cape.
The time was allocated and the funds provided by the NCOP for oversight and interaction with provincial leadership, and certainly not for ANC events. I await your comments.
The Chairperson has responded by acknowledging receipt of the letter, but no action has been taken yet, as far as we know.
Now, we understand that from time to time, urgent party business means that a member, or even several members, may have to excuse themselves from NCOP proceedings; but for the entire programme of the Provincial Week to be suspended in not one, but two provinces is an indictment of this institution.
Noting that the attendance of delegates in the provinces for Provincial Week was paid for by Parliament, we hope that, at very least, the party concerned will reimburse Parliament for this wasteful expenditure.
These four concerns necessitate legitimate reform of the way we conduct Provincial Weeks from now on, but Chair, we are only presenting them because we believe so strongly in the Provincial Weeks as the embodiment of our constitutional duties in this House. We trust that, once they have been addressed, the oversight and co-ordination work of this House will go from strength to strength. I thank you. [Applause.]