Deputy President Jacob Zuma is to face a question in Parliament on Wednesday about whether he is reconsidering his association with and support for the loveLife message.
In his regular question time, African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) member of Parliament Cheryllyn Dudley is to question whether this association is suitable given the terms of Lovelife’s target audience of 11 to 17 year olds, and with regard to the HIV/Aids crisis being directly linked to licentious sexual behaviour.
The ACDP, a conservative Christian political party with six members of the National Assembly, is opposed to the loveLife campaign — carried in national newspapers — urging youths to practice safe sex and to use condoms.
Meanwhile, African National Congress (ANC) MP Jeremy Cronin is to ask Zuma whether the resolutions and strategic programme decided upon at the recent Growth and Development Summit in Johannesburg “with regard to job creation and poverty alleviation would have any bearing on the programme of the moral regeneration movement?” Zuma heads the moral regeneration campaign.
New National Party MP Francois Beukman, and chairperson of the standing committee on public accounts, will ask whether any proactive steps were being taken to promote national pride, national symbols and the unity of the South African people amongst all sections of the population.
ANC MP HP Mentor will enquire whether the government had made any progress within Nepad (New Partnership for Africa’s Development), the African Union and in the spirit of the ‘African Renaissance’ towards resuscitating the African values of caring for women, children, the weak and the helpless.
A question will be put to South African Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Mohammed Valli Moosa on the issue of job losses resulting from new plastic bag regulations.
Freedom Front member of Parliament (MP) Pieter Groenewald will ask whether Moosa’s department “has information on any job losses as a result of the new plastic bag legislation and if not what is the position in this regard?”
This is one of a number of questions to economics cluster ministers.
The new regulations prohibit the manufacture, trade and commercial distribution of thin plastic bags in all retail stores in South Africa. Consumers have the option to re-use their thicker and more durable plastic bags — for which they have to pay — or use their own carrier bags. The regulations came into effect in May.
Another question from Democratic Alliance (DA) minerals spokesperson Ian Davidson will probe the extent of oil transactions with Nigeria and to what extent this served to diversify South Africa’s sources of crude oil.
Davidson will also ask Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka how many barrels of oil have reached South Africa and at what price per barrel.
He will ask in particular what impact this has, in monetary terms, had on the price of petrol to South African consumers.
ANC MP Fatima Hajaig will ask Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin what short, medium and long-term benefits will accrue to South Africa from the free trade agreement with the European Union.
Hajaig will also ask whether it is anticipated that South African agriculture, which is not state-subsidised, will experience any problems when cheaper, state-subsidised EU agricultural produce enter the South African market.
DA finance deputy spokesperson Pierre Rabie will ask Finance Minister Trevor Manuel what amount was currently owed to the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) by the Zimbabwean government and what proactive steps were being taken to prevent the debt agreements between the SARB and the Zimbabwean government from being broken.
Question time to the economics cluster ministers follows questions to the deputy president, which starts after lunch on Wednesday. – I-Net Bridge