Parliament returns - with new monitoring tool targeting ministers

President Zuma’s reshuffle of 20 ministers and deputy ministers on 30 March at midnight took place just as Parliament went into a month long recess.

Parliament returned on 2 May and, with all these new appointments eager to make their mark, it will be interesting to see how they perform. One important performance indicator will be their willingness to be accountable to Parliament.

A new tool on the People’s Assembly website [http://www.pa.org.za/mp-attendance/] allows you to monitor ministers’ attendance at parliamentary committee meetings.

The People’s Assembly website, run by the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG), focuses on elected representatives at national, provincial and local level. While monitoring the attendance of MPs at committee meetings since 2014, it became clear that ministerial attendance was important too and PMG piloted the monitoring of attendance of ministers and their deputies over the last six months of 2016.

A quick look at their 2016 attendance on the website shows that there are the good, the weak and the bad. Interestingly, it is often the most controversial ministers who have been the best attendees – but this is perhaps more a case of being summoned to Parliament rather than appearing of one’s own volition.

Ministers’ poor attendance in the House was in the spotlight often in 2016. In June, Leader of the Government Business, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa stated, “Cabinet …will endeavour to improve communication with Parliament and all its committees and deepen accountability. Members of the Executive will remain open to constructive criticism, robust debate and strong oversight”.

When attendance remained poor, Ramaphosa in September 2016 had to answer in Parliament what measures he would take to ensure that members of the executive attended and answered oral questions in the National Assembly. His words: "This is a promise that I make. We have taken it to heart and we are going to make sure that attendance is improved."

Ministers’ attendance at Portfolio Committees, though not compulsory, should be at least four times a year, according to experts. It is where specialist knowledge of the ministerial portfolio exists and where key issues can be discussed at length with the Minister – far preferable to the formal oral replies prepared for the House.

Some committees are exasperated by the absence of the minister who they may not have seen for up to a year. For example, the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation had to deal with a department that has failed its audit three years in a row yet the Minister was a repeated no-show. The Committee was unanimous about the unacceptability of Minister Nkoana-Mashabane’s continued absence, with an ANC committee member commenting in a committee meeting, “the absence is actually bordering on illegality…Engagement with her is paramount, because there are issues that lie squarely on her shoulders and no-one else can account for this”. The Committee wrote in its key October 2016 budget review and recommendations report: “On the Minister’s continuous absence from the Committee’s meetings…the Committee expressed its utmost disquiet and deep disappointment”.

With the increased active citizenry witnessed in recent weeks, here is another tool citizens can add to their civic toolbox. Public pressure can ensure ministerial appointees adhere to their constitutional responsibility in section 92(2) of the Constitution: “Members of the Cabinet are accountable collectively and individually to Parliament for the exercise of their powers and the performance of their functions”.

Contact People's Assembly at 021 465 8885 or email contact@pa.org.za