Teamwork in the Parliamentary Committees


I have been visiting Parliament for six months and during that time I have certainly gained insight into the ‘goings on’ of South Africa’s political spectrum. While politics plays a key role in the parliamentary setting, it is certainly not the be all and end all when it comes to getting things done. Having attended many parliamentary committee meetings on topics ranging from amending the laws to adoption of a committee report, to briefings on a department’s annual performance, it was nice to see the ability of Members of Parliament put aside their political differences and work together as a team to achieve what is in the best interest of the nation. Without a doubt, there were disagreements and endless negotiations, but many times all were working for the common goal of the best possible outcome as opposed to political interests.   In recent discussions on trade in the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, I was able to witness a coming together of the Committee for national interests. Members stepped out of their political suits to discuss this matter of national interest. Much fruitful discussion took place on the current status of trade in South Africa as well as South Africa’s international trade relations. Members combined their knowledge, expertise and efforts to discuss ways to improve the standing of South African trade on an international scale. This was of particular interest given the vast difference in financial support given to the agricultural sector in South Africa compared to that given to European countries. The team worked together to discuss possible reasons and solutions to the frequent trade deficits that SA had been experiencing with BRIC countries. Members were all in agreement about the degree of importance of this topic to the nation’s future and the need to put political interests aside and work towards a common goal.

I cannot deny that it is close to impossible to put aside party interests but it does happen time and time again within the parliamentary committee setting. Throughout my experience of attending parliamentary committee meetings, I have certainly come to understand the difficulty in doing this and I applaud the Members for doing so when necessary.