Two bills to facilitate devolution to be tabled in Parliament before end of the year

HON. MAPHOSA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to ask the Hon. Minister what will happen to those who were elected in the last elections into provincial councils. Is it water under the bridge or the Ministry is doing something about it?

HON. J. G. MOYO: I can only answer the question relative to the 2018 election. Mr. Speaker, the Constitution requires us to have an enabling Act and that is what we are processing. As we are processing this, we have not ignored the ten (10) who have been elected in all the provincial councils and not the provincial metropolitan councils. Hon. Members peruse the Constitution, you will find out that there is an omission. We did not, in the metropolitan councils, state them as members and yet in one of the sections of the Constitution, it refers to them as if they were there.  So, how it will be processed, I do not know, but what we are doing now is wherever we are going around training, and I have said we have covered all the provinces except two right now, we request provincial council members who were elected, the ten who were elected.  Of course, all of you are provincial council members by the way, except those in metropolitan areas – we have requested them to come for training as we prepare.

So, we have a situation where we are progressing the enabling legislation, but we are also making sure by that the time we have finish with the legislation, those who have been elected are prepared to undertake their jobs.  So, training is already taking place.  We are not excluding them.  I thank you.

HON. GONESE:  On a point of order.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  What is your point of order Hon. Member?

HON. GONESE:  My point of order is that as I understood, the Hon. Minister has not responded to the question which was asked.  The question was clear.  It was referring to those who were elected in terms of the 2013 elections when the Constitution was already in place.  We have got provincial councilors who were elected in 2013 who were never sworn into office.  So, we want clarification so that the Hon. Minister informs the nation as to what is going to happen to people who participated in an election, got elected and the five years expired without those councilors being sworn into office and being allowed to take their positions to which they were elected.

I think it is important for the Executive, for the Government, to tell us what is going to happen, if anything.  If it is water under the bridge, let the Minister say so, instead of ducking and diving and avoiding the question.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Hon. Gonese, I think you have really answered yourself that the time that they were actually elected expired.  So, really for the Minister now to answer because you have answered yourself that time has expired and the Minister has got nothing to say.

HON. GONESE:  Hon. Speaker Sir, I think it is important for us to get a policy pronouncement from the responsible Minister.  I am not the Minister.  I am simply asking; let us have a proper pronouncement so that they know that this is now whatever the position is.

HON. J. MOYO:  Mr. Speaker Sir, I honestly cannot answer that question and the Hon. Member knows that.  If the Hon. Member wants to put the question so that consultations can take place, so that I bring a comprehensive answer which is collective, I can do that, but I cannot answer that without instruction.  Thank you.

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