The Week Ahead: MPs get stuck into 2020

It's still early days but Parliament is slowly coming back to life after a long summer break.

The legislature has planned a broad programme this week after a low-key start.

With no sittings scheduled in the main chambers, the Committee corridor will be the main source of parliamentary action.

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Away ...

2020: Top 10 most anticipated dates in the Parliamentary Calendar (so far)

With just a decade left to achieve what we’ve set out for ourselves in the National Development Plan 2030, this year also happens to be the last year of the National Youth Plan 2020. With that in mind, there is no doubt that this year's State of the Nation Address ...

NHI: Tracking the bill through Parliament

The NHI Bill was introduced to Parliament in August 2019 and is currently under consideration by the National Assembly’s Portfolio Committee on Health.

According to the government, the NHI aims to achieve the following principles:

-The right to access health care: The NHI would ensure access to health care, as ...

Parliamentary Constituency Office Officially Opens Its Doors

The local parliamentary constituency office (PCO) was officially introduced in the southern suburbs at the end of last year. It was opened in the Pelican Park Parliamentary Village Hall in Buck Road by advocate Hishaam Mohamed, a member of parliament (MP) for Grassy Park and the southern suburbs.

Having grown ...

Review of Parliament 2019

“I can only hope that none of those to whom an oath of office will be administered would see that exercise as just one those inconvenient processes that one has to go through, itching to occupy an office rather than determined to internalise the magnitude, the enormity of the responsibility ...

Petitions: How to get your voice heard in Parliament

In South Africa, Section 17 of the Constitution creates the right for everyone to present petitions. Public participation in law-making, oversight and other processes of Parliament, therefore, is an integral part of our democracy. Parliament has developed a number of ways to promote public involvement in the work of the ...

The Week Ahead: Parliament wraps up for 2019

It’s a week of farewells and loose ends… The constituency period beckons, with MPs due to depart at the end of the week and return to Parliament next year. But a fair amount of work will be done before they go and there is plenty of opportunity for excitement. Most ...

16 Days of Activism

16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence is an annual campaign that takes place all over the world to raise awareness on the negative impacts that violence against womxn and children has on society. South Africa joined the campaign in 1998 as one of the strategic interventions to make South ...

The Week Ahead: It's the penultimate week of the parliamentary year

In the remaining days, lawmakers are scheduled to have debates, pass the amended budget, vote on several Bills, scrutinise/question the Executive, discuss the legislature’s programme, adopt new rules, conduct oversight visits, consider statutory instruments and appointments as well as finalise assorted Committee Reports.

In the NA chamber, the major point ...

The People's Budget: MTBPS 2019

"As things stand in this country, there's 10% of the population that currently gets 90% of the money in this country. That means that 90% of the population are living in poverty" - Noxolo of Amandla.mobi*

A brief look into some of the sentiments around the MTBPS. Listen below or ...

About Impressions

Not many people know there are fifty committees in Parliament - each assigned to oversee the work of a government department and YOU are welcome to attend. Email us if you would like to sit in on a parliamentary committee meeting. - all you need is an ID or passport to visit Parliament. Contributions about your impressions gladly accepted.

Here are comments from citizens attending parliamentary committee meetings:

About The Week in Parliament

That Week In Parliament

Recent happenings in Parliament