Hon Chairperson, members of the House, I stand here to indicate that the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training has processed the Bill as referred by the executive. This Bill seeks to empower the Minister, after consultation with the National Skills Authority, to be able to incorporate a subsector from one Seta to another. This aspect was not provided for in the original Act.
The Bill provides for the composition of, the eligibility for and the vacation from a Seta board - hereinafter referred to as accounting authority - to be uniform in terms of the numerical threshold of membership of these institutions. The Bill ensures that six persons are drawn from organised labour, six persons must be nominated by organised employers, and two persons must be nominated by any government department, community structure, professional body or bargaining council.
The Bill states that people that have been convicted of theft, corruption, forgery, perjury and related crimes, as well as insane persons, may not serve on the board. The Bill prohibits board members and employees of the Seta from engaging in commercial or financial transactions with the Setas in which they serve. The Bill ensures that they disclose whatever conflicts of interest may arise in the execution of their duties, and nullifies proceedings in which people have given themselves tenders and so on. We think this is a very progressive piece of legislation.
The Bill further empowers the Minister to provide a standard constitution for the entire Seta landscape, so that no Seta can engage on its own - frolic - with the finances of our government. Any deviations that a Seta may want to make will have to be done by the Seta concerned by application to the Minister, and the Seta will have to have cogent and legitimate reasons for such in order to address the peculiarities that affect their sector. This empowerment will indeed ensure that we achieve flexibility with uniformity in our quest for a seamless, coherent and stable Seta system. The Bill further provides that the boards of the Setas must within six months of their appointment, recommend to the Minister competent possible appointees for the position of chief executive officer, CEO, so that we do not have incompetent people in charge of our Setas. This is because we think that this is very important in ensuring involvement by the state to ensure a strong presence of authority by the state in that arena.
Lastly, the Bill also repeals a few sections of the original Act that relate to employment service agencies, because the President had assigned such functions to the Department of Labour. These repeals will come into effect by notice by the Minister with the concurrence of the Minister of Labour so that there is an appropriate transition in the process.
I must indicate that during the deliberations in the committee there was a profound sense of collegiality across the political spectrum. The seven members who were present, five from the ANC and two from the DA, agreed to recommend that this House approve this Bill.
We have engaged with around 19 interested and affected stakeholders, amongst whom we include the Rural Youth Development Foundation of SA, the Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority, the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the National Youth Development Agency, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers, Union, the Information and Communications Technology Seta, the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa, the QuadPara Association of South Africa, Business Unity South Africa, the Professional Educators Union, the Wholesale and Retail Seta, the Services Seta, the Health and Welfare Seta, the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority, and Master Builders South Africa. The Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority and the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education Training Authority also attended, although they never made any specific presentation. They were nodding as others were making presentations, indicating support for the deliberations that were taking place with the stakeholders.
I would like to take this moment to thank those officials that were responsible for effecting the amendments, which the committee introduced within the process. I also thank members for the co-operation that was shown in ensuring that we finalised this Bill. If I have left anything out, the hon Makhubela will leave no quarter. I thank you very much. [Applause.]