The Select Committee on Public Services held a meeting on Tuesday, 25 February, with the Independent Development Trust (IDT) regarding their role in the delivery of school infrastructure with specific reference to the eradication of mud schools. Considering the huge public outcry surrounding mud schools, People’s Assembly was surprised that ...

The Social Development Portfolio Committee held a meeting with the Department of Social Development on Tuesday, 18 February to discuss its six-monthly report (April-September 2013). During a review of the Department’s performance, MPs noted that although the target for adoptions had been more than met – 735 adoptions registered against ...

On Wednesday, 19 February, the Public Service and Administration Committee received a joint briefing by the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities on the crucial issue of access to schools for children with disabilities.

In her opening statement, Chairperson of the Committee, ...

Pravin Gordhan’s budget speech on Wednesday will be the main highlight this week in Parliament.

In the 2013 MTBPS Speech by Minister Pravin Gordhan the following challenges were enumerated:

● “Growth is too slow.

● Unemployment is high and many households are over-indebted.

● Government expenditure substantially exceeds our revenue. ...

On Tuesday, 18 February, the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education received a briefing by its respective department on the 2013 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results with Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, in attendance. The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi) also briefed the Committee ...

Punctuated by heckling, insult trading and truckloads of rhetoric, Tuesday 19 February saw the second day of the two-day State of the Nation (SONA) debates descend into a rather raucous state of affairs. Amid the now hackneyed use of the “good news” refrain, laundry lists of national government policy successes ...

Following a controversial R550-million government bailout last year, the South African Airways (SAA) had to report back to the Select Committee on Labour and Public Enterprises on Wednesday, 19 February, on the turnaround strategy that would help get the airline on track again.

During the course of his briefing on ...

The first day of the two-day State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate saw opposition MPs pour scorn on Nkandlagate. Addressing the National Assembly on Tuesday 18 February, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Lindiwe Mazibuko, said "I want to use this opportunity to send a very clear ...

As well as MPs, Tuesday 18 February’s Basic Education Portfolio Committee meeting was attended by Minister Angie Motshegka and other members of her department including recently re-instated Director-General (DG) Bobby Soobrayan – this after a disciplinary process cleared him of financial mismanagement and other wrong doing as alleged by the ...

The main source of parliamentary action this week will be in the National Assembly chamber as MPs debate the President’s State of the Nation Address. Members of Parliament will be afforded an opportunity to state their views on Tuesday and Wednesday and the President will get his turn to ...