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AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT APPEAR BEFORE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC

KwaZulu-Natal Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development held its scheduled virtual meeting on Tuesday (21/04/2020) where it received and considered a number of reports from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development including the department’s response to COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee also adopted the department’s Annual Performance Plan and the 2020/2021 Budget.

Normally, portfolio committees meet at the legislature or sometimes at locations around the province to consider reports, hear evidence from witnesses or receive submissions from members of the public.

However due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic the legislature has resolved that all portfolio committee meetings are to be held through video conferencing.

Committee Members under the leadership of Chairperson Honourable Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha were generally satisfied with the reports received from the department of Agriculture and Rural Development which was led by MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi.

Committee members noted the department’s COVID-19 intervention including the following:

i) Mass production of sanitizers by the department which are distributed to departmental employees, small scale farmers and would also be used in sanitizing informal settlements and hostels.

ii) Provision of Personal Protective Equipment to departmental employees who are working during the COVID-19 National Lockdown.

iii) Departmental efforts to distribute part of the R1,2 billion announced by National Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Honourable Thoko Didiza to deserving small scale farmers.

Committee members were assured by the department that COVID-19 pandemic will not affect food security in the province and that more than 500 departmental officials would be working during lockdown assisting farmers to ensure continued food production.

The committee also resolved, amongst other issues, that in its next meeting it would call the department to explain how farmers benefitted from the drought relief fund in the past financial year.

The committee also expressed concern at the department’s failure to spend conditional grant.

“There is a worrying issue presented by CFO (Chief Financial Officer) that under conditional grant there is a R75 million underspending which happened last year. I think the committee deserves to know why there was this underspending especially on conditional grant. We request this (explanation), based on the resolution of the finance committee adopted by the legislature that all committees must monitor conditional grants and ensure that these monies are fully spent at the end of the (financial) year,” said Sibhidla-Saphetha

She also indicated that the committee intends calling the department to make a presentation on food security in the province in the context of COVID-19 epidemic.

Ends

Issued by the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development Hon NN Sibhidla-Saphetha
Cell No: 0833013622.

21 April 2020

Draft Minutes

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KZN LEGISLATURE PUTS MEASURES IN PLACE TO RESPOND TO THE CURRENT LOCKDOWN AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC / NO REST FOR KZN LEGISLATORS DURING NATIONAL LOCKDOWN

The Speaker of the KZN Legislature has called all members to action amidst the continuing pandemic. This is in recognition that the war against the spread of the pandemic can only be won if all structures of government pull their efforts together and play their roles in ensuring that the measures that have been put in place are being effectively and efficiently implemented.

With the restrictions on normal movement, the Legislature has introduced and adopted means for virtual meetings through which the Legislature is holding the Executive to account and through which members of the Public will be able to engage with the Members of the Legislature.

The Committee of Chairpersons on Thursday16 April 2020, held a virtual meeting wherein the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and the Chief Whip participated to deal with the current situation arising from the lockdown which has been extended to 30 April 2020 as announced by President Ramaphosa.

The meeting discussed and formulated a comprehensive response given the implications of the crisis on the work of the Legislature. Key amongst these have been the guidelines which calls all Committees to action for them to play the

oversight role over how the Executive is intervening in curtailing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Legislature, through virtual meetings, remains operational during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

This meeting of Chairpersons was preceded by a number of sessions where the Speaker engaged with the Presiding Officers of the Legislature, the Provincial Executive, Party Leaders and representatives of caucuses to put together the Rules allowing for virtual meetings, the systems enabling such, as well as ensuring training of all members and staff of the Legislature.

“We are using modern ICT infrastructure to keep the activities of the Legislature functional. All our meetings are taking place and we shall continue to do our work including overseeing what the government is doing to curb the spread of this pandemic” said the Chairperson of Committees, Hon. Themba Mthembu.

The Legislature Speaker, Hon. Nontembeko Boyce is the principal spokesperson of the institution on matters related to the work of the Legislature in fighting the Coronavirus pandemic. The meeting has urged all the people of South Africa to do the following to curb the spread of the disease:

· Adhere to the Lockdown Regulations all the time;

· Adhere to social distancing;

· Stay at home;

· Protect yourself and other people too.

Chairpersons of various Committees will be on various platforms to convey their messages to the public, in particular the oversight role their respective committees are playing to fight the spread of the Coronavirus and to monitor what the government is doing during the current crisis. Over and above the traditional platforms, digital platforms are being used to communicate the messages and the work of the Legislature during the lockdown.

Ends

Issued by

Hon. Themba Mthembu

Chairperson of Committees

KZN Legislature

Cell: 083 303 6988

WORLD HEALTH DAY

07 April 2020

SPEAKER NONTEMBEKO BOYCE SHOWERS HEALTHCARE WORKERS WITH PRAISE FOR THEIR UNSELFISH FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 AS THE WORLD CELEBRATES THE WORLD HEALTH DAY

In her message on the World Health Day, KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Speaker, Ms Nontembeko Boyce has thanked the healthcare workers for their selfless commitment in the fight against the COVID-19 that has claimed thousands of lives all over the world.

“Today the world observes the World Health Day at a time when the whole world is facing a health crisis caused by the deadly pandemic COVID-19. The efforts put by the healthcare workers in looking after those who have contracted the virus and preventing it from spreading, are immeasurable. Their work does not go unnoticed and let us all rally behind them. We can help our healthcare workers by following health guidelines” said Boyce.

The Speaker also commended the South African government for the manner it has coordinated efforts to contain the spread of the virus, adding that it would have spread faster that it has were it not of the well-coordinated interventions but further calls for provisioning of PPEs and all necessary support by government to all healthcare workers during this difficult time of sacrificing their own beings in order to save South Africa.

“The message that South Africans are getting from the government is clear, logical and it unites people to fight against the common enemy. Our legislature will continue to provide oversight and support to the provincial government as it continues to undertake this important role of protecting our people” said Boyce.

End

ISSUED BY THE KWA-ZULU NATAL LEGISLATURE

OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER

Enquiries: Nomusa Phungula 071 851 0085/ 072 294 7237

FINAL LOCKDOWN REGULATIONS

Final lockdown regulations Download

BULLETIN CIRCULAR 1 – COVID-19 COMMUNIQUE

Bulletin Circular1 – COVID-19 Download

THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 IS ON

As South Africa battles with the rapid spread of coronavirus, the members of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature took the fight to the street across the province of KwaZulu-Natal to educate people on how best we can prevent being infected by this deadly disease, that has recorded a number of deaths globally. The outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency by the United Nations, followed by the launch of COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan to #InvestInHumanity. Members rolled up their sleeves and visited taxi ranks and malls in order to appraise the citizens on the hygienic steps that people need to follow in our fight against the spread of coronavirus. The UThukela team was led by Hon. Sboniso Mtshali, accompanied by the Mayors, ward councillors, religious Leaders, government officials and other interested parties.

Speaking at Nqubeko Community Radio Station Mtshali said “Our nation’s response has been comprehensive and multi-faceted; with the Ministry of Health leading the charge byannouncing policy measures and behavioural protocols, geared towards limiting the spread of this disease, there is no need to panic but we need to strict adhere to all those health precaution measures like sanitizers, gloves and facemask if needs be”.

The people of UThukela welcomed the efforts and applauded this initiative. The Members handed over a number of educational pamplets, pack of soaps and other health promotion materials to each community member. The public was urged to respect the call for a state of emergency by President Cyril Ramaphosa and that during a 21 day Lockdown people must remain in their homes to avoid clashing with law enforcement officers deployed by the President, except for those doing critical and essential services like health workers, police and other strategic sectors like banks and food markets.

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Message from the KZN Legislature on the COVID-19 pandemic

MESSAGE FOR THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

As an oversight institution that promotes public education in its constitutional mandate of law-making, oversight and public involvement, the KZN Legislature is focusing on monitoring the effectiveness of government’s efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic facing our communities. We are encouraging citizens to work with their public representatives through Constituency Offices to ensure that as communities, we make it easy for government agencies to do their work to protect us all as a nation.
The Lockdown protocols announced by the President are to be overseen continuously, but the Legislature on its own may not be adequate without the active support and participation of the citizens. The Legislature therefore invites us all as responsible citizens, to play an oversight role on each other in our communities. To ensure community based oversight, we should report any observed transgressions of these lockdown protocols to authorities.
We also invite communities to send inputs on how best the COVID-19 protocols can be enhanced even through our law-making processes.
We encourage our Members and staff to be responsible during the lockdown period and beyond to ensure the safety of their families. They should always take all the necessary precautions by doing the following:
• Wash your hands regularly
• Practice good personal hygiene
• Do not share food and utensils
• See a Doctor if you are unwell

Hon. Nontembeko Boyce
Speaker: KZN Legislature

MPLs COVID-19 CAMPAIGN WARMLY WELCOMED IN ILEMBE DISTRICT

As part of its response to the outbreak of COVID-19, members of the provincial legislature embarked on an awareness campaign educating people on how to avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19, which is also known as Corona Virus.

The campaign targeted densely populated areas including taxi ranks, hawkers’ markets, private households and shopping centres.

The team which was deployed in the Ilembe district was led by Deputy Chairperson of Committees Honourable Makhosazane Zungu, who was accompanied by Honourable Ricardo Mthembu (Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), and the member of the National Council of Provinces Honourable Makhosi Ntuli and a former of Member of the Provincial Legislature Mr Dhlomo.

The three, Zungu, Ntuli and Mthembu later divided themselves and each respectively led a team to Mandeni, Maphumulo and Ndwedwe municipalities.

They were also joined by councilors from Ilembe district and other local municipalities. The team was warmly welcomed by taxi drivers and commuters. They distributed pamphlets prepared by the provincial department of health.

Honourable Zungu emphasized that people must wash their hands for about twenty seconds, keep social distance where possible, when coughing or sneezing to use elbow and refrain from handshaking.

The delegation also encouraged people to respect the National 21 Days Lockdown as declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday. The national lockdown begins tomorrow (Thursday).
Ends.

Statement By President Cyril Ramaphosa On Escalation Of Measures To Combat COVID-19 Epidemic

President Statement on Coronavirus : 23 March 2020 Download