The Week Ahead: NCOP focuses on service delivery

Parliament’s National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will host the Provincial Week in all nine provinces from 8 to12 September 2014. The Provincial Week theme is: ‘Together making service delivery work for our people’. The permanent delegates to the NCOP will use this opportunity to:

  • Interact with members of the ...

Infographic: Local government audit results show little improvement

On Tuesday in Parliament, the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) briefed the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Portfolio Committee on local government audit outcomes for the 2012/13 financial year.

The audit results left Members feeling dissatisfied – while Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal performed well, the rest of the municipalities ...

Seeing red over parliamentary protocol

By Adv Johan Kruger, Director: Centre for Constitutional Rights

The Economic Freedom Fighters (the EFF) are causing an uproar inside and outside the hallowed hallways of Parliament.

Their apparent disregard for parliamentary customs and traditions have other political parties hot under the collar, while commentators stand divided on whether to ...

The problem with Parliament

By Trevor Manuel

In the week Parliament fell into a chaos of #paybackthemoney, it’s a good idea to read this former minister’s ideas on how to fix it (note: it’s not about heckling, eviction or chanting)

While we have myriad democratic institutions that all play a role in supporting good ...

That week in Parliament - After the stand off

Parliament’s plenary sittings will be under scrutiny this week (and probably for the next while) following last Thursday’s dramatic and unprecedented events in the National Assembly. The House had to be suspended when the EFF disrupted proceedings and heckled the President. Chaos ensued after the EFF had demanded to know ...

Infographic: MP Questions - Evaluating oversight and accountability

It is quite rare for MPs to have all their questions answered in committee meetings. Questions are often meticulous and long-winded, leaving no time for all MPs to have their say. Because of time constraints, or for purposes of general inquiry, MPs send written questions to the Ministries they oversee. ...

The week ahead: Parliament's second term kicks off

Parliament resumes this week after a two week break. The second term is expected to run for five weeks and the programme is packed with activities. Some of the highlights include oversight and legislation work, Questions to the President and the Executive, Women’s month celebration and the National Council of ...

SWEAT stages protest during WEGE parliamentary meeting

In parliament on Wednesday 29 January, during public hearings on the controversial Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (WEGE) Bill to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) staged a demonstration in the committee room where Minister Lulu Xingwana was in ...

Police Portfolio Committee endorse McBride for IPID head

In front of a committee meeting packed with members of the public, think tanks, NGOs and the media on Wednesday, the Portfolio Committee on Police voted 7-3 in support of Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s controversial nomination of former Ekhuruleni Metro Police Chief Robert Robert McBride to head up the Independent ...

ACDP leader Rev Meshoe returns to parliament after six month break

People's Assembly (PA) notes that African Christian Democratic Party leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe is back in the big house this year. After a six month leave of absence from Parliament, Meshoe was spotted attending the Police Portfolio Committee's first meeting of 2014, on Tuesday 28 November.

When asked why he ...