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The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is currently in De Aar in the Northern Cape participating in the “Taking Parliament to the People” programme. On today’s agenda, four cabinet ministers, (including Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti, Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Minister, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, and Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant) were supposed to address the issues raised by the people of De Aar. Not one of them pitched.

Minister Nkwinti obviously felt that the televised New Age breakfast briefing was more important. Clearly, there is no glamour in having to face voters in De Aar who have serious expectations of the land reform programme.

Minister Joemat- Pettersson is apparently negotiating with the Namibian president. Minister Molewa and Minister Oliphant just failed to arrive.

This is an indication of the disdain with which ministers treat the NCOP and of the futility of the whole Taking Parliament to the People circus that costs in excess of R8 million to stage.

The purpose of this exercise is for the people to have access to the Ministers so that they can raise their issues and concerns. When Ministers fail to arrive, it sends a message that they do not have the interests of the people at heart.