HAPPENING IN PARLIAMENT STATEMENT

Deputy President Paul Mashatile will on Thursday at 2 pm appear before the National Assembly (NA) to answer questions from Members of Parliament.

The Deputy President is often required to appear before Parliament to give account to matters arising from issues related to government’s implementation of national legislation. This is in line with Section 92 of the Constitution which stipulates that Members of Cabinet are accountable collectively and individually to Parliament for the exercise of their powers and the performance of their functions.

Questions for Oral Reply sessions are but one of the mechanisms that Parliament utilises to give effect to its oversight mandate over the President and Cabinet Members.

NA’s Budget Votes of government departments and state entities, the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP) Policy Debates on Budget Votes and the debates on matters of national importance are also among the key items in Parliament’s programme this week.

NA is scheduled to hold 12 budgets vote debates this week. The House will on Tuesday from 10 am hold mini-plenaries to debate nine budget votes of the departments of Defence and Military Veterans; Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities; Science and Innovation; Police (Including Independent Police Investigative Directorate and Civilian Secretariate for the Police Service); Public Enterprises; Public Works and Infrastructure; Public Enterprises and Public Works and Infrastructure.

The NCOP will this week hold three plenary sittings (Tuesday to Thursday) for six policy debates on budget votes, for consideration of the legislation before the House, and for various committee reports.

The House will on Tuesday at 2 pm, convene a hybrid sitting to consider reports of the Select Committee on Security and Justice and Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs; Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements on the Joint Proactive Oversight visits to Free State Province, including the report on oversight visit to the Free State Province to oversee the condition at Park Road Police Station. The NCOP will at the same sitting also hold a policy debate on budget vote 31 of the Department of Employment and Labour.

NA will on Wednesday from 3 pm hold mini-plenaries for budget vote debates of the departments of Higher Education and Training, Tourism and Trade, Industry and Competition.

The NCOP will on Wednesday at 2 pm convene a sitting to consider reports of the Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament. Other items on the agenda at the same sitting include two policy debates on budget votes of the department of Public Enterprises and Transport.

On Thursday, NA will at 2 pm hold a plenary session to consider matters such as, the report of the Standing Committee on Appropriations on Eskom Debt Relief Bill, the decision of question of draft resolution on establishment of an ad hoc committee in terms of Rule 253(1)(a) to exercise oversight over the new minister of Electricity and the implementation of the Office of Minister Ramokgopa’s programme of action.

NA will at the same sitting also debate Africa Day under the theme: “Deepening the African Union’s vision of African unity, peace, prosperity and development”.

The NCOP will on Thursday at 2 pm hold its last sitting for the week to consider legislation and to hold policy debates on budget votes of the departments of Small Business Development, Trade, Industry and Competition as well as Tourism.

The sittings on Thursday will be preceded by the respective Programming Committee meetings of both the NA and the NCOP at 8.30. The meetings are to consider the bills before the respective houses, the rules and the programme of the Parliament.

On Friday, NA will at 10am hold a mini-plenary for the budget vote debate of the Departments of Cooperative and Traditional Affairs.

There are about 17 scheduled committee meetings of both Houses this week, and are as follows:

TUESDAY, 23 MAY 2023

Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly) to be Briefed by National Treasury on the Procurement Bill (provided it is tabled)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, (National Assembly) to receive a Briefing from the Department of Home Affairs on the implementation of the recommendations of the Lubisi Report; Briefing by the Government Printing Works (GPW) on the implementation of the recommendation of the Ministerial Task Team], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Communications, (National Assembly) to be Briefed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) on the feedback on the Roundtable discussion on services offered by SITA; Briefing by the DCDT on SAPO Bailout conditions and deliverables], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, (National Assembly), [Oral submissions on Climate Change Bill [B9-2022]], SACP North-West; SALE / Wilderness Foundation], Physical meeting, 09:30-13:30

Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour, (National Council of Provinces), will meet for Consideration and adoption of Budget vote reports and minutes], Committee Room M515, Fifth Floor, Marks Building, Parliament, 10:00-13:00

Select Committee on Finance, (National Council of Provinces), to hold Public hearings on the Financial Matters Amendment Bill], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-13:00

WEDNESDAY, 24 MAY 2023

Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, (National Assembly) to be Briefed by the DPWI / PMTE on its 3rd quarter report; Consideration of the minutes of previous meetings], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly) to be Briefed by the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer on the Procurement Bill (provided it is tabled)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Police, (National Assembly), [Crime Statistics, deliberations on the Fourth Quarter Crime Statistics 2022/23 financial year], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development, (National Assembly),to receive Briefings on 2023/23 Quarter Four Performance Reports of the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Sefa) & Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda); Consideration and adoption of minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, (National Assembly), to receive a Briefing from the DMV on the performance/implementation of all benefits for 2022/23; DMV Update on filling of vacancies and national database; Consideration of PCDMV Annual Performance Plan; Consideration and adoption of outstanding minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-13:00

Select Committee on Transport, Public Service and Administration, Public Works and Infrastructure, (National Council of Provinces) to Consider written submissions on Economic Regulation of Transport Bill {B 1B-20(s76); National Road Traffic A/B [b 7b-2020] (s76)] and Department of Transport responses to the written submissions], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-13:00

THURSDAY, 25 MAY 2023

Joint Standing Committee on Defence, (National Assembly and National Council of Provinces), to receive an Update from the SANDF on border safeguarding operations, including successes, ongoing challenges and the impact on operations of the use of technology; Briefing by the DOD on the level of cooperation with the newly formed Border Management Agency along the borders; Consideration of outstanding minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 18:00-21:00

FRIDAY, 26 MAY 2023

Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament, (National Assembly and National Council of Provinces) to meet for Summary and analysis of interventions in respect of increasing public participation, and efforts underway to broaden public participation in line with the Sixth Parliament’s strategic objective to do so: briefing by the Secretary to Parliament; Consideration and adoption of committee minutes: 19 May 2023.], Committee Room M514, Fifth Floor, Marks Building, Parliament, 08:30-13:00

Source: Parliament of South Africa