National Small Enterprise Amendment Bill: Final Mandates

Meeting report

The Chairperson stated that Members had agreed in the last meeting, held on 26 March 2024, to meet on this day to deal with the conferral of the final mandates as requested by the provinces.

Final Mandates: National Small Enterprise Amendment Bill
Members delegated to the NCOP by their provincial legislatures read the final mandates of the provinces into the record. The Chairperson read the final provincial mandates on behalf of Members absent from the meeting.

Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape Legislature voted in favour of the Bill on 3 April 2024 and mandated the Eastern Cape permanent delegate to the NCOP to do the same.

Free State
The Free State Legislature voted in favour of the Bill on 16 April 2024.

Gauteng
The Gauteng Legislature supported the principle and detail of the Bill and voted in favour of it on 15 April 2024.

KwaZulu-Natal
The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature met on 9 April 2024 and agreed to mandate the KwaZulu-Natal delegation to the NCOP to support the Bill.

Limpopo
The Limpopo Legislature voted in favour of the Bill on 9 April 2024.

Mpumalanga
On 15 April 2024, the delegation representing the Mpumalanga province in the NCOP was conferred with the mandate to vote in favour of the Bill.

Northern Cape
The Northern Cape Legislature voted in favour of the Bill on 12 April 2024.

North West
The North West Legislature voted in favour of the Bill on 16 April 2024.

Western Cape
On 15 April 2024, the Western Cape Provincial Parliament conferred on the Western Cape delegation in the NCOP the authority to support the Bill.

The Chairperson sought confirmation from the Parliamentary Legal Advisor that all mandates complied with procedural matters.

Adv Shamara Ally, Parliamentary Legal Advisor, confirmed that all mandates complied with procedural rules.

Committee Report on the Bill
The Committee Secretary read the content of the Committee Report into the record. Five provinces (EC, NC, GP, LP and FS) voted in favour of the Report, two abstained (KZN and MP), and no province voted against its adoption. Based on the majority vote, the report was adopted and will be ATC’d.

The Chairperson thanked Members for their contributions in developing the Bill. He expressed his appreciation to the legal advisors and procedural officers, senior department officials, and the Minister who briefed the Committee on 6 February 2024. He also appreciated the input from entities that participated in the process.

Minutes
The Committee adopted the minutes dated 26 March 2024 without any amendments.

The Committee Secretary announced that the Committee Legacy Report and the Committee Annual Report were scheduled for adoption the following week.

The Chairperson noted that the next meeting would be the last meeting. He thanked Members and staff for their attendance and wished Ms Solomons, the other Committee Secretary, a speedy recovery.          

The meeting was adjourned.