FOUR cabinet ministers have shunned the National Council of Province's extravagant imbizo in Northern Cape, leaving it to officials to address unhappy citizens.

Ministers scheduled to speak yesterday in the Northern Cape town of De Aar, but who did not arrive for the session, were Gugile Nkwinti (Rural Development and Land Reform), Edna Molewa (Water and Environmental Affairs), Mildred Oliphant (Labour) and Tina Joemat-Pettersson (Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).

A red-faced National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairman Mninwa Mahlangu was forced to apologise to residents when it became evident that none of the ministers had honoured the invitation of the lower house of Parliament.

The public hearing, "taking Parliament to the people", was on labour, agriculture, rural development and water affairs.

Mahlangu admitted that the NCOP wanted ministers, as leaders of government, to be the ones addressing residents' concerns.

"We have been having a bit of a problem today, particularly with the ministers . It was not the intention, it was actually that the leadership of government was to respond to your questions," Mahlangu said.

Nkwinti, who was addressing a business breakfast in Johannesburg, arrived after lunch, when the session had been concluded.

Molewa was off sick while Oliphant's office claimed she had sent an apology on time. Joemat-Pettersson could not immediately be reached for comment.

Chairman of the select committee on land and environmental affairs, Noluthando Qikani, said she was not overly concerned that ministers were not present.

"That's why the National Council of Provinces is here. There's a lot that needs to be done by the officials."

Meanwhile, Northern Cape residents were disappointed that the event was not what they had expected.

An aggrieved resident of Britstown, near De Aar, said the event made him "nauseous" and that MPs were out of touch with the people.

"The councillors are sitting in front. They are the VIPs. Here we have been speaking about the bucket [toilet] system. Not one of them sitting in the white [covered] chairs in front of me is using the bucket system," the man said.

Another struggling farmer from De Aar said there was no interaction between government and the people.

"It's like you may as well be talking to a stone."

Another said it appeared as though Parliament simply did not know who the people were that voted for them.