GEORGE NEWS - The Western Cape Provincial Parliament welcomed the local DA politician, Tertuis Simmers, as a new member six months ago.
Simmers replaced former LPP Rodney Lentit, who resigned earlier this year. Simmers is also the DA Constituency Head of George and the Eden district.
At the request of the George Herald, he gave an overview of his role and the first six months in the provincial parliament.
Many things have changed since he took his seat in July.
What does your role as an MPP entail, what does this mean and what exactly are your responsibilities?
Each province has a legislature, the size of which varies depending on the population levels in the province.
According to the Constitution, the minimum size of a Legislature is 30 members and the maximum size is 80 members. Members are elected from provincial lists on the basis of the number of votes received by a political party.
A provincial legislature is responsible for passing the laws for its province as defined in the Constitution.
These laws are only effective for that particular province. Parliament may intervene and change these laws if they undermine national security, economic unity, national standards or the interests of another province.
Like Parliament, provincial legislatures have the responsibility of calling the members of their Executive to account for their actions.
As an MPP, one of my roles is as chairperson on the Standing Committee on Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.
My primary function in this role is:
- to preside at meetings of the committee of chairpersons;
- to approve the budget and expenditure of committees, in consultation with the chief whip of the majority party; and
- to preside at the sittings of a House when the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are not available.
Our committee is responsible for:
- initiating legislation (rules for which have recently been established);
- debating and amending legislation and policy documents;
- monitoring the departments they oversee;
- investigating and making recommendations on the budgets of these departments;
- holding public hearings or asking for submissions on important bills; and
- investigating any function of the executive and its department, which includes summoning ministers and any department official to appear before them to supply information;
Committees do not take decisions but make recommendations to the legislature.
Usually these recommendations are expressed in the form of reports to the House.
Name some of the highlights you’ve experienced as MPP for the past six months.
Project Khulisa: This project identifies agri-processing, tourism and the oil and gas services sectors as the greatest potential for accelerated and sustained job creation.
Agri-processing initiatives will continue to focus on international market exposure for Western Cape produce, efforts to boost exports and creating an enabling environment for agri-processed products to develop rapidly.
The tourism sector, which employs over 200 000 people, is one of the province’s most important sectors.
To date, the Air Access project has made a significant impact in boosting arrivals in the province, with ten new direct flights into Cape Town International Airport.
The Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) is an important initiative in the oil and gas services sector, with the Saldanha Bay IDZ Licensing Company being the implementing vehicle of the IDZ.
Green Economy: The province will continue promoting and stimulating the green economy to increase investment into green industries and to improve the resource efficiency of businesses.
Through a partnership, we have made progress with the establishment of a special economic zone (SEZ) in Atlantis. A total investment of R680-million has already been attracted to the SEZ in Atlantis.
Skills for Growth: Skills development is critical in addressing persistently high unemployment in the province. The Apprenticeship Game Changer focuses on work placements of semi-skilled and artisanal candidates by providing them with access to work experience and training opportunities.
In response to the large-scale unemployment amongst the rural youth, the Agricultural Partnership for Youth Development will focus on the development of skills and education of the rural youth.
Transport Infrastructure: The maintenance and delivery of transport infrastructure will continue over the 2018 MTEF and includes projects that aim to promote social and economic development and enables economic performance and a high economic multiplier effect.
The Western Cape Government has made significant investment towards an integrated and service-oriented system that increases access for communities to opportunities and services.
The province will continue with the development of the GO GEORGE Integrated Public Transport Network, which will double the current service offering and connect Thembalethu and the neighbouring communities. The developments with Stellenbosch Municipality on the programme for sustainable transport initiatives will continue over the 2018.
Drought Management, Water Security and Climate Change: The roadmap to climate change support and industry resilience was laid with the adoption of the Western Cape Climate Change Response Framework and Implementation Plan for the agriculture sector in 2016.
An intergovernmental Drought Task Team has been established to support drought relief projects which include water augmentation projects, repair and improvement of boreholes and water supply systems, as well as assistance to agriculture.
The strengthening and improvement of disaster preparedness and response plans have been prioritised.
A Drought Register, identifying risk areas based on water availability and water use, has been compiled.
A policy guideline, applicable for all new human settlement developments, which aims to reduce water and energy consumption, minimise waste generation, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been developed.
Drought, Water Crisis, Fire: Budget Allocations and Commitments allocations totalling R165,331-million for the 2017/2018 and a further R157, 031-million for the 2018/2019 financial years are now included in this adjusted budget.
Crime: The Department of Community Safety will make provision through reprioritisation within the Department’s baseline for requirements regarding the upcoming festive period, economic crimes and safety issues.
In the 2018/2019 financial year, R1-million has been reserved for the vote for a safety summit and R1,5-million towards a crime strategy.
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