On one level, this looks like a pretty normal week. There is no main chamber business and there is a decent amount of action in the committee corridor.
However, Parliament is officially in recess from today until 4 May 2021.
While most MPs will only be focused on constituency work ...
1. What is the SONA?
It is an annual address given by the President to a joint session of Parliament and marks the official opening of the legislature. It is designed to be a report on the economic and social state of the nation, and includes a review of the ...
Following the transition to a virtual/hybrid Parliament in April, the 2020 parliamentary year came to an end on 9 December.
It was an unprecedented year
In March, Parliament took a decision to suspend its programme as a precautionary measure due to COVID-19, which saw a drastic limit to the number ...
Information and communication technology has changed rapidly over the past 20 years with a key development being the emergence of social media.
Social media has had a powerful impact in the way that we communicate, how we formulate our opinions and how we perceive of ourselves, others and the ...
Sixty-three years ago today twenty-thousand women took to the streets to march against the introduction of the Apartheid Pass Laws. What has now culminated into this public holiday symbolizes the role that women have and continue to play in the political sphere to shape the country.
It all began in ...
A lot was packed into the first term of the Sixth Parliament
New Members were registered, sworn-in and received training. In addition, the legislature elected new leadership, had a second State of the Nation Address, set up structures, and assigned Members to Committees.
A big chunk of the time was ...
After several intense weeks, there is a slight lull in the parliamentary agenda for the coming week.
Most of the significant business is in the main chambers while the Committee corridor takes a backseat. The programme has a distinct end of term feel as members of the National Assembly depart ...
It’s another week where Parliament’s schedule is dominated by Budget Vote Debates.
These debates happen in the mini-plenary sittings of the National Assembly and are headlined by Ministers, their deputies, party leaders and senior MPs.
This period is usually frenetic as lawmakers jump from Committee work to attending budget vote ...
Political background: I became involved in politics, and the ANC, by being involved in student politics. I became an MP through my leadership position in the ANC as a Deputy Chairperson of the ANC Johannesburg region.
What does your job as an MP entail? My job as an MP really ...
What is your political background? I have been involved in politics for over 20 years. I got involved as a volunteer for the Democratic Party (DP) leading up to the 1994 elections. In 1995 when the first democratic local government elections were to take place, the DP branch I belonged ...