News
Below are all the news items published on our website.
Call for nominations: Western Cape Language Committee
The Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs and Sport, in compliance with section 7 of the Western Cape Provincial Languages Act (Act 13 of 1998), invites the public to nominate suitable persons to serve as members of the Western Cape Language Committee. Appointed nominees will serve a three-year term of office starting on 1 September 2015.
Call for nominations of candidates to the Western Cape Cultural Commission
The Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs and Sport calls for nominations for candidates to represent all communities of the province by serving on the Western Cape Cultural Commission for its new term of office.
WCPP mourns passing of Eugene von Brandis
Eugene von Brandis, Wesern Cape permanent delegate to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), passed away yesterday after a period of illness. The Speaker of the Provincial Parliament, Sharna Fernandez, and Members will observe a moment of silence during the Sitting this afternoon.
Hon Von Brandis, from the George constituency, became a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in 2009. During his term he served as Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance. In 2014 he became one of the Western Cape’s permanent delegates to the NCOP.
Have your say
The Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Premier, chaired by Hon Lorraine Botha, will consider the Constitution of the Western Cape First Amendment Bill [B4-2014]. The Standing Committee is interested in what you think and therefore will host a series of public hearings all over the Western Cape in May.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
New Provincial Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport
Ms Anroux Marais has been appointed as new Provincial Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, a vacancy occasioned by the recent resignation of Mr Theuns Botha.
Ms Marais was elected to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in 2004, and served a full term on the Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs and Sport, and more recently as chairperson of the Standing Committee on Health and Social Development.
She also serves as the chair of the provincial caucus of the Democratic Alliance, recently elected to a second term.
Taking Parliament to the People
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will be hosting the Taking Parliament to the People programme in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape, at Bridgton Sports Grounds from 13 to 17 April 2015.
The programme theme is “20 years of a Democratic Parliament”. Initiated in 2002, the programme enables the NCOP to exercise its constitutional obligation of overseeing the executive. The programme also gives citizens an opportunity to engage their elected public representatives on issues affecting them.
Provincial budget for 2015/16
From 19 to 26 March, the budgets of all Western Cape Government departments, 14 votes in total, will be debated in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.
On 19 March the WCPP will consider the principle of the 2015 Western Cape Additional Adjustments Appropriation Bill and the 2015 Western Cape Estimates Bill. On 24 and 25 March, the Ministers responsible for the various votes, will open the debates, after which Members will deliberate the specific budgets. The process will culminate on 26 March, when Members will finalise the budget.
Parliamentary programme:
State of the Province Address
To download the Premier's State of the Province Address, tabled on 20 February, click here.
Courtesy visit by Vice President of German Bundestag
The Vice President (Deputy Speaker) of the German Bundestag, Hon Ulla Schmidt, accompanied by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Group on SADC States and the Standing Committee on Sport, Hon Dagmar Freitag, together with the German Consul General, Dr Bernd Rinnert, met with Speaker Sharna Fernandez and Deputy Speaker Piet Pretorius on 19 February. Matters of general mutual interest were discussed as well as comparing and exchanging experiences with regards to presiding over House proceedings.
Official Opening and SOPA
The official opening ceremony of the WCPP will take place on Friday, 20 February 2015. This important event on the WCPP calendar, will, as in the past, be a stylish but low-key event. Approximately 250 guests are expected to attend the proceedings, including members of the Consular Corps, religious leaders, as well as municipal speakers and mayors.
