Monday 18 May

Well not much action to date as we await our schedules for portfolio meetings. The administration is still sorting this out because some portfolios were merged. We will probably start in June. our next sitting will be on June 8 when the premier delivers her state of the province speech.

In the mean time I have received some constituency complaints and will be dealing with these issues - all related to my portfolios at the moment. I will also be conducting planning for my portfolio soon with other party roleplayers soon.

Apart from this it is very quiet at the moment. Although the political scene is very abuzz with all kinds things happening. From Helen Zille's cabinet to the transport minister's car that he received as a gift.

Well plitics at the best of times is a bumpy ride - so fasten your seatbelts!!

Monday 11 May The second sitting

Today we had our second official sitting. The chairpersons of the committees and a few other officials were appointed and a resolution was taken to continue debating an appropriations bill.
We were also given our portfolios and I will be primary spokesperson for local government (part of the housing and local government portfolio) and deputy spokesperson for Roads and Public Transport.

The FF+ at a Cross Road?

One of the main talking points surrounding the appointment of the cabinet is the appointment of Pieter Mulder (leader of the FF+) as a deputy minister by the President. This needs some analysis.

There is also a debate raging within the FF+ about Mulder's acceptance of the post. The result being their youth leader's suspension and a threat to disband their youth movement for criticising the move into government. From internal FF debates it is clear that there are two reasons why a big part of the FF+ wants to go this route.

Firstly, the FF+ reckons this position will give them an opportunity to obtain a sympathetic ear from the President and the ANC for issues key to them, including Afrikaner self-determination and recognition of Orania in line with the party's volkstaat (independent ethnic nation state) policy. The question is how they will act when their requests are met with a firm "no"?

They also reckon they will keep their independence and will be able to criticise government as an opposition party.

This last selling point seems impossible. Remember that Mulder today took an oath pledging allegiance to the government and acting in the interest of government. He can therefore not criticise govenment but will be expected, according to his oath, to defend the actions of government. Sure this does not exclude his party from criticising government, but in essence his party will be opposing him and criticising him when government fails on issues. This will inevitably lead to conflict in the FF.

Secondly, from these debates it is clear that many within the FF+ sees this position as a possible lifeline to a party that has consistently lost support in elections since 1999 and now standing at 0,83% of the total national vote. However, if they are unsuccessful in delivering on the expectations created of how they will sell their issues to government (i.e. the ANC) as mentioned in the first point, it will turn out a spectacular failure for them as a party and would spell the end of the FF+.

No matter what happens, the FF+ is unlikely to achieve any success with having its party leader acting as a deputy minister in the Zuma government. It is likely that the FF would lose more support and inevitably fail to exist. So this may after all be a move to secure a pension by Mulder as mentioned by Helen Zille.

Monday 11 May - The Second Sitting

Today we had our second sitting in the house. It was to take note of the MEC's appointed by the Premier, approve the committees and their chairpersons and a few other administrative decisions. It was a quick sitting and over in an hour.
We are also settled in now. We have been allocated offices and the last admin is being sorted out around IT and cell phones. All in all the transition to the legislature has gone quite quick.
By the end of the week we will also know which committees we will serve on.
We will have our next sitting on 8 June for the state of the province address but we do expect that the portfolio committees will start functioning in the mean time. Keep watching this space or more news on the functioning of the legislature.

The Swearing In - 6 May 2009

So today was the big day! I am being sworn in as a MPL at 9:00 at the Gauteng Legislature in the middle of Joburg - yeah right!! Make that 10:00!!

Traffic was absolute murder and the highway just did not want to move. I finally phoned my whip Paul and told him I was gonna be late for my first sitting..."don't worry" said Paul..."everybody is stuck in the traffic they are going to start late in in any case". Relief.

Part of the problem was the streets they closed for the inauguration of the premier and MPL's! Which in the end proved to be quite uneccessary. Nonetheless the trip was murder.

So we finally got to the legislature and as I walk into the building with Thana by my side (very quietly leaving me to boil) I get the SMS from Paul "we've started". "I'm here" I reply. I quickly "dump" Thana in the capable hands of Ann Barnes our office manager and Di Thomas one of our researchers while I dash down to the chamber like a madman possessed.

As I walk in the first MPL's get sworn in - I take my seat - the second bunch get called to the front. Mike says "You're here you can relax now" and I think I am glad I am sitting next to him.

Just as I take a breath, fill out my attendance form - they call my name - I am in the Afrikaans bunch and the Deputy Judge President says "Raise your right hands and read the oath". In a cacophony sounding like a "spreekkoor" gone wrong the 1 ANC, 1 COPE, 1 FF and 3 DA Afrikaans speaking MPL's read their oaths - generating a short but distinct laughter from our colleagues in the chamber.

We finish "So help my God" and sign our forms and return to our seats.

So there I sit waiting for the rest of my colleagues to be sworn in realising that we left in such a rush that I skipped breakfast. My tummy doesn't like that. So I start attacking the bottle Valpre water graciously provided by the legislature. However, this just compounds another little problem I forgot to address before leaving home - and there was no time to stop on the way. So I thinki to myself - at the right moment I will leave the chamber visit the place for men and then hop into the members' lounge for a quick bite on a hard cookie just to quiet the rumble in my tummy. This opportunity arises as they decide to swear in the Premier and they let in the press for photographs. I stand up, bow to the podium and dash off to address my pressing needs.

Get to the members' lounge - they're not providing any little samies or even dry cookies, just a bunch of closed bain maries. This is not gonna work I think to myself so I return, slightly disappointed but relieved, to the chamber.

As I walk in towards my seat I almost fall over from shock - not hunger - in front of me taking photographs is somebody I safely "dumped" in the hands of our staff earlier. "How did she escape?" I wonder to myself and decide to not make a fuss or ask questions just sit, pray that she doesn't get thrown out and smile while she takes pics. My wife get intp places in a flash where I had to struggle 21 years to get into!!

Some of my colleagues did not reaslise who she was but did "find it strange that someone would take photographs of the DA ignoring the Premier's swearing in" as Jack Bloom remarked. So we have a few special pics of all of us in our seats (see the pics in this post).

All in all I enjoyed the whole swearing in thing and I enjoyed my first sitting with my new colleagues - so far a nice bunch of people.

Thana also enjoyed it being able to move around with the media guys and being able to meet Steven Grootes from 702 who we listened to on the radio on the way to the legislature. All in all - great fun!!!

5 May 2009 - The Mock Sitting

As I indicated yesterday, today we had our mock sitting. We basically sat in the auditorium got lectures on the basics of the rules of the house and the cute little touch screens that we use, once they work fully, for all kind of stuff.
The mock sitting ended with a run down of tomorrow's inauguration/ swearing in procedures. The nice thing about the mock sitting was that we were able to get used to our seats in the legislature. I am sitting between Mike Moriarty and Bev Abrahams and have Thomas Walters, Paul Willemburg, Solly Nkhi, Khumi Ramulifho, Neill Campbell and Gavin Lewis in close proximity - oh and off course chief whip Glenda Steyn! I already feel at home in the house and am looking forward to the first real debate.
Things are moving fast now. Today I got a parking space (with my name on it!), access card, office allocation as well as my portfolios. I will be spokesperson on local government (my first choice - yeah!) and deputy spokesperson on public transport, roads and stormwater (could have been worse!). I look forward to my exciting and challenging two portfolios and I think I will be having a lot of fun with them.
As I said tomorrow it is our formal swearing in (as Paul said today he loves swearing!) and after that we will hopefully get our programmes and start working proper.
I still have to deal with the admin around the medical aid transition and as well as my cellphone porting (i must choose a handset on Friday - these choices are killing me!).
Tomorrow will be the inauguration edition!!!

Admin Admin Admin! Monday 4 May 2009

Today we had to complete most of our admin at the legislature. Geez, this part of life really gets me down!!! To give you an idea. We had to fill in forms by the dozens relating to, bank details, medical aid, pension fund, security cards, gym membership (yes we have a gym!) and cell phone contracts. You can only imagine!
But that's not all. I finally got a bank stamp to confirm my account number and found out from MTN what the procedure is to "port" my number (See legislature is not big on choice for members). Now I have to sort out the whole cancellation of one medical aid getting onto another (more expensive) medical aid (which is subsidised - kind of).
Admin, Admin, Admin!! This is not my strong point!!!
We also received a briefing on the structure of the legislature and met some of the main role players. They also gave us lots if information on rules, etc. that we have to learn as well as nice bags and diaries (highlight of the day!).
So today was boring from the outside looking in, but believe me it was hectic for a guy who thought he was on his medical aid and cell phone network for life (and wanted it so!!). Tomorrow we have our mock sitting!

The New MPL - Thursday 30 April 2009

Well after being elected to the gauteng Provincial Legislature I have been in limbo. A bit of nomansland country moving from council to the legislature. That is why I was glad we had a caucus on Thursday 30 April.
at the caucus meeting we elected our new caucus management and also received information about our induction.
Unfortunately I cannot tell much about what happens in a caucus, no not because I am an irregular attendee, but because caucus meetings are usually very private meetings.
A caucus is a group of people in a legislature, parliament or council who belong to the same party - in European countries they refer to them as fractions (fraktie). The caucus meeting allows this group of people to discuss how they will vote on matters and what their strategy will be to either govern or give the governing party a hard time when they launch actions contrary to our policies.
It is very rare that you will ever read in the media about the discussions in a caucus. It is a private place for members to discuss issues openheartedly with each other.
Well hope that gave you some insight!