Cape Town – The upcoming week in Parliament, Week 29 of the Parliamentary programme, is set to be a busy one with a variety of critical items on the agenda.
According to Parliament of South Africa, the schedule includes debates on the rising costs of living, oral replies to questions, mini-plenary sessions, and the consideration of several important bills and budgetary review and recommendation reports.
On Tuesday, 14 November, at 14:00, the National Assembly (NA) will hold a hybrid plenary session to consider four significant bills: the Marine Oil Pollution (Preparedness, Response and Cooperation) Bill, the Divorce Amendment Bill, the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Amendment Bill, and the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill. Additionally, the NA will review the Report of the Chief Whips’ Forum on benchmarking study visits to Ireland and Kenya.
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will convene on Wednesday at 14:00 for a hybrid plenary to consider the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill. This session will also include a debate on the 2023 Africa Industrialisation Day, focusing on industrialisation and economic diversification plans for South Africa.
Wednesday will also see the Social Services Cluster Ministers appear before the NA at 15:00 for an oral question-and-answer session. This cluster includes ministers responsible for higher education, basic education, human settlements, health, and social development.
On Thursday, the NCOP is scheduled to deliberate on Select Committee reports and host a debate on the rising cost of living in South Africa. The NA will hold three virtual mini-plenary sessions to discuss various national importance matters, including the removal of the Israel Embassy, the BRICS Bloc, the role of Chapter Nine institutions, law enforcement capacity, climate change mitigation, and strategies to alleviate the inflating cost of living crisis.
The week also features 31 committee meetings, with some committees conducting public hearings across the country. Notably, the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy will hold public hearings on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill in the Western Cape, and the Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development will have its hearings on the Small Enterprise Amendment Bill in the North West province.
Several other committee meetings are scheduled throughout the week, covering a range of topics from finance to health, defense, and public works. These meetings reflect Parliament’s ongoing commitment to addressing the nation’s most pressing issues and ensuring comprehensive legislative oversight.