Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy Chairperson and hon fellow delegates, today is the eighth consecutive time that I have been privileged to address this House on the Budget Vote of Parliament. And I must, once again, pay tribute to the man at the helm, our Chairperson, hon M J Mahlangu, for his tireless and continuous efforts to enhance the image of the institution, whilst at all times considering the interests and needs of the delegates. [Interjections.] Would you please be quiet.
In the latter regard, Chairperson, I must also acknowledge the role of our Chief Whip, hon Nosipho Ntwanambi, who is probably one of the most vicious political fighters with whom I have ever crossed swords. However, when it comes to the interests of those that the Chair has been charged to lead, she is the epitome of the proverbial mother at heart.
Over the past number of years I have attempted to draw attention to the many shortcomings in the operations of the NCOP, whilst also offering suggestions to improve.
One such issue was the substandard quality of sound and video in our Chamber, coupled with the difficult seating arrangements, which the Chairperson has now, this morning, also referred to. I have observed some refurbishing activity in the Chamber for some time now and I should probably shout Hallelujah! I've won! [Laughter.] But, Chairperson, I have also observed that very little progress has been visible, and I just hope that we have not also fallen victim to an absconded contractor who had been paid too much in advance. I hope we will soon be able to move back to our home in a more user-friendly Chamber.
Today, however, Chair, I wish to concentrate on a matter that I have also raised before and which concerns the operations of our committees. I honestly feel that our select committees are overburdened with studying the strategic plans of national departments, their financial reports and vastly outdated audits - all of which is a duplication of work already attended to by the National Assembly. Even the duplicated debates on the Budget Votes, presently occupying most of our time in this House, add very little value to our work as legislators, and could be limited to those directly affecting the NCOP and those associated with our role as the link between the national and provincial spheres of government.
I maintain that the major part of our activities should be devoted to oversight, but this aspect of our duties as provincial delegates has in the past been grossly neglected. Let us just consider the situation in local government, the main artery in the lifeline of governance, which came close to total collapse in most parts of our country just before the recent municipal elections.
I maintain that we, as the NCOP, could have done more to avoid the turmoil if we had spent more time on oversight and less time in committee rooms. I recall many instances where the select committee that I serve on, which is the Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cogta, had planned oversight visits which were cancelled or disallowed because of other activities of the NCOP, sometimes at the very last minute.
Chairperson, the good news is that the results of the elections were announced on Saturday, 21 May 2011 and, by now, most municipalities have been constituted and should be ready to govern. So, whilst the national and the provincial departments of the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs should launch immediate strategies for a fresh start to good governance and service delivery, the NCOP must now be there on the ground to monitor the implementation of progress. Now is our chance, Chairperson. Let's grab it and do it.
This time last year we patted ourselves on the back for the wonderful progress made with updating the Rules of the NCOP, and I even expressed the hope that we could start the third term of 2010 utilising a fresh set of Rules.
The backlog caused by the Fifa World Cup and other matters requiring precedence has, however, delayed such progress. However, I trust that we will shortly be able to speed up the process. Chairperson, the process must, however, whenever dealt with, be followed by in-depth training of all members so that every delegate is properly empowered in the daily application of the Rules of our House to avoid some of the circuses that we have seen happening in the past.
As in previous years, I will once again say nothing about the actual finances of Parliament, because my party's Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip will be attending to that when addressing the National Assembly this afternoon.
I trust that you will forgive me, Chairperson, if I once again conclude with my favourite topic, namely the place and stature of the NCOP in society. I have said so many times before, and I say so again: The National Council of Provinces is an unknown entity in the world out there and a poor replacement for the once illustrious Senate of the Republic of South Africa.
So, may I remind you of my proposed solution? I propose one small change to the Constitution, to rename this House as the National Senate of Provinces. I can only imagine how exciting it would be if I could have started my speech in this debate by saying: hon Deputy President, hon President of the Senate and hon fellow Senators. Wouldn't that have been nice? [Laughter.] I thank you. [Applause.]