Thank you, hon Chairperson. If the court had said the procedures followed in these Bills were unprocedural and stopped there without any further explanation, I do not think that these Bills would have been introduced in Parliament again. Therefore, the IFP is not convinced that the will of the people had really been taken into account. The IFP feels that the hurry-scurry approach to these matters is wrong and it does not help the public who elected us. Instead, it creates more problems.
Ngakho-ke besicela ukuthi, bakwethu, asibekezele ezintweni esizenzayo emphakathini abasikhethile ngoba uma singenzi njalo, sizodala izinxushunxushu nibone abantu sebeya ezitaladini bebulale yonke into ekhona. Ngakho-ke asikhulume nabantu bezwisise kunokuthi kugcinwe sekuthathwe izinqumo zezinkantolo. Ngehlela ngezansi. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[We therefore appeal to hon members to be patient with what we are doing in the community who elected us because if we do not do that, we will create conflicts and witness people taking to the streets and destroying everything at their disposal. Therefore, let us talk with the people and make them understand so that we avoid a situation where decisions have to be taken in courts. Thank you.]
Mr M E SITHEBE (KwaZulu-Natal): Chair, Ministers present here and other members that are attending this important debate in the NCOP, the ANC-led government in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature supports the Constitution Thirteenth Amendment Bill.
We, as a standing committee on local government in the legislature, have conducted public hearings, both in Matatiele and Umzimkhulu. With regard to the Matatiele issue, we have taken a position, as the ANC in the province, that is actually based on the issue of revenue generation.
In backing up our decision, we are saying that Matatiele is an area that generates a lot of revenue. You have this big area that is more of a rural area - the Greater Maluti area. We are saying that the fragmented system of local government created the situation where those people are completely ostracised from revenue generation.
It is for that reason that we are saying that the wall-to-wall system of local government in South Africa should be economically sustainable. We are not going to allow a situation where the Greater Maluti area falls outside of Matatiele. This is one fundamental point we have advanced when we argued on this particular matter.
The other issue that we have actually considered also borders, I think, on the provision in section 153(a) of the Constitution, which goes thus, and I quote:
A municipality must -
(a) structure and manage its administration and budgeting and planning processes to give priority to the basic needs of the community, and to promote the social and economic development of the community.
So it is in that spirit that we, as a legislature, have decided, consciously and prudently, to vote for Matatiele to remain in the greater Maluti so as to realise the potential economic development in that particular area.
Amongst other things that we noted when we conducted those public hearings, especially in Matatiele, is that the issues that were raised by those people were of national and provincial competency. We then said that this is not going to deprive those people because we have a clear provision in Chapter 3 of the Constitution which deals with the whole question of co- operative governance, and our duty is to try and nurture that level of co- operative governance.
So as the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, we support the Constitution Thirteenth Amendment Bill. Thank you. [Applause.]