Cape Town - A routine virtual agriculture standing committee meeting discussion, on setting a date to substantively discuss the issue of farmworker transport, turned into a slanging match between FF Plus MPL Peter Marais and DA MPL Deidré Baartman.
As committee members discussed the mechanics of how to tackle the issue raised by ANC provincial spokesperson for agriculture Pat Marran, committee member Peter Marais FF Plus said: “We are always talking to MECs as though they are power unto themselves. But they are members of a Cabinet which can overrule any of them. But if it’s something so serious that we want it to be given attention by the Cabinet as a whole, we should refer it to the premier who chairs the Cabinet.”
“Do you think we as a committee should also brief the premier on this and he can bring it up as a discussion point in the cabinet agenda, instead of just talking inside corridors with MECs?” asked Marais.
Baartman said: “I’m a little confused as to what member Marais is referring to. I would like clarification about whether he feels that this topic is not important enough to come before our committee?”
Marais said: “It seems member Baartman can never understand anything I say, so I want to put her in school again and maybe she’ll understand it this time.”
At this Baartman interjected with a point of order and said: “I would like the committee chairman to rule on member Marais’s use of wording such as he’s going to school me? I do not think it is appropriate for someone to use words such as those towards another member in an official Parliamentary meeting. And, worse yet, direct them to someone who is female.”
“If member Marais disagrees with me he can do so respectfully, but does not need to use derogatory terminology to refer to me when disagreeing with me,” said Baartman.
Committee chairman Andricus Van Der Westhuizen said he would rule on the wording used at the committee’s next meeting, but urged Marais to be careful with his language.
At that, Marais said: “I take exception to that. Member Baartman told me she doesn’t understand what I’m saying and doesn’t know what I mean. Now, if I must explain what I said, then I am schooling her.
“I don’t know why she is so touchy. She should keep quiet in the meeting and not speak so often. She couldn't understand why I wanted to refer to the premier and said she can’t understand, so now I am trying to tell her why but she doesn’t want to be schooled,” said Marais.
Marais repeated his statement about the matter being too important to leave to one department and then said: “This happens even at national level. I know member Baartman has never been a premier, so she wouldn’t know this.”
Cape Argus