The Week Ahead: Human Rights Day Debates and More

It’s the penultimate week of the parliamentary term, with Members expected to depart for their constituency break on 1 April 2022.

There is a mixture of routine and important parliamentary business in both the National Assembly (NA) and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).

On Tuesday, both Houses will hold separate debates to commemorate Human Rights Day. In the NA, theme is: “Entrenching human rights culture in the fight against racism, xenophobia and other related intolerances”, and in the NCOP it is: “The Right to Equality – Reducing poverty and inequality”.

On the same day, the NA plenary session will consider the Portfolio Committee on Communications’ reports on appointments in the following statutory bodies: Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA); Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) Board and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Board. Following the adoption of the reports, the names of the nominated candidates will be forwarded to the President for consideration.

Oral questions form part of a suite of oversight mechanisms available to MPs to hold members of the Executive to account. On Wednesday, select Ministers that fall within the economic cluster will be answering oral questions in the NA.

View the Questions here.

At the same sitting, lawmakers will consider the Division of Revenue bill. This bill provides for the equitable division of revenue raised nationally among the national, provincial and local spheres of government for the 2022/23 financial year.

Thursday’s NCOP sitting- scheduled for 14:00 - will put a focus on empowerment legislation as delegates debate the relevance and success of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment and Employment Equity legislation.

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs will conclude its provincial leg of the public participation process on the Electoral Amendment Bill in the Western Cape tomorrow, having spent the last three weeks gathering views on the Bill in eight provinces.

Track the Bill. View Plenary Programmes.

The week rounds off with a three sphere planning session on the 2021 Women’s Charter for Accelerated Development.

Elsewhere, the Speaker of the National Assembly is leading a parliamentary delegation to the 144th International Parliamentary Union in Indonesia, from 20-24 March 2022. There is notable action in the Committee corridor with 33 meetings scheduled. Here’s a rundown of the highlights:

TUESDAY, 22 MARCH 2022

Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly), [Briefing by National Treasury and SARS on the draft Rates & Monetary Amounts & Amendment of Revenue Laws Bill and Tax Proposals], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Standing Committee on Appropriations, (National Assembly), [Consideration and adoption of Committee’s Draft Report on 2022 Division of Revenue Bill; Consideration of Committee’s Draft Programme for term 2 of 2022], Virtual Platform, 09:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, (National Assembly), [Consideration of the Expropriation Bill [B23-2020] clause by clause], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy on the: Amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, tabled in terms of section 231(2) of the Constitution, 1996; Explanatory Memorandum of the Amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material; Consideration and adoption of minutes: 15 March 2022], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Standing Committee on Public Accounts, (National Assembly), [Meeting with Minister of Transport on the issues emanating from oversight visit to Prasa], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-11:30

Portfolio Committee on Transport, (National Assembly), [Briefing on a petition from residents of Ukhahlamba Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal province, calling on the Assembly to investigate the state of roads in their communities; Deliberations on the Economic Regulation of Transport Bill [B 1-2020]: Consideration of Department of Transport responses to the additional written comments on the Bill; Consideration and adoption of minutes of proceedings], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the DTIC and its entities on the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan; Consideration of the first draft report of the PP’s report], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:55

WEDNESDAY, 23 MARCH 2022

Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly), [Briefing by National Treasury on their Annual Performance Plan], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00 Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, (National Assembly), [Consideration of the Expropriation Bill [B23-2020] clause by clause], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, (National Assembly), [Briefing on quarterly performance reports and financial statements by (including progress report on the implementation of the Committees recommendation in the 2021 Budget Vote Report): South African Local Governance Association (SALGA), Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB); and CRL Rights Commission], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Health, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Auditor-General of South Africa on their analysis of the Health Sector’s Annual Performance Plan and budget, Health Sector’s Audit Outcomes and on the vaccines audit report; Consideration and adoption of minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Police, (National Assembly), [Committee deliberations on the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill [B25 – 2021] (continued)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

FRIDAY, 25 MARCH 2022

Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, (National Assembly), [Progress report by Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS), National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), South African Police Services (SAPS), and the Department of Cooperative Governance on the anti-corruption cases in local government], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Police, (National Assembly), [Consideration of the A-List on the Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Bill [B25 – 2021]], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Social Development, (National Assembly), [Deliberations on the Children’s Amendment Bill [B18 – 2020] (clause by clause)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-15:00

Committees provide a platform for the public to present views directly to MPs. Share your thoughts on the ground experience and expert information to the relevant committees. Critically, what questions should MPs pose to the Executive as they conduct their oversight work? Write to a Parliamentary Committee

View the schedule page here.

View the Provincial Legislature's programme here

*This summary is based on the schedule as it is published on Monday morning. The programme is subject to frequent updating so the link above needs to be checked daily to confirm the programme for the day.

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