Parliamentary discussions deadlocked on Thursday over the proposed composition of the board of regulators for the diamond and precious metals industry.
Minerals and energy portfolio committee members disagreed with proposals in the draft Diamond Bill suggesting the board only have one representative from organised labour.
The minerals and energy department’s deputy director-general, Abe Mngomezulu, informed the committee the board’s numbers had already been increased from between 12 and 15 to between 14 and 17 after almost two weeks of public hearings on the Bill.
”The idea is to keep the board small because big boards are often ineffective,” he said.
However, African National Congress MP Sam Louw objected to the fact that organised labour had only one representative.
”If we allow the situation where we have four representatives from the industry how do we liberalise the industry and say that we want to move them and transform this industry, if there is only one labour representative?”
He said labour’s opinion would not be heard.
Mngomezulu had earlier proposed the board consist of two diamond and two precious metal representatives, one person from organised labour, four people from the government, a chairperson, an executive officer and three other persons with appropriate skills.
ANC MP Elizabeth Ngaleka agreed with Louw, arguing that the board’s decisions would be by consensus, and thus labour would need stronger representation.
”For the sake of democracy and transformation I also consider that we need stronger labour,” she said.
She also accused the board of being ”gender blind” and urged that women be represented on it.
Mngomezulu agreed to the addition of a second labour representative but said the Cabinet would have the final say and would ensure all the principals of the country were considered.
Craig Morkel, however, who recently defected from the Democratic Alliance and formed his own party, called for four labour representatives to balance the four industry players. He was supported by certain ANC members.
Committee chairperson Nathi Mthethwa called for the postponement on the decision of the board’s make-up until a consensus was reached among the parliamentarians. – Sapa