The Week Ahead: First Term Wraps up

The constituency period beckons, with MPs due to depart at the end of the week and return to Parliament on 25 April. But a fair amount of heavy-duty business will be done before they go.

With nothing scheduled in the main chambers, the committee corridor will be the only source of parliamentary action, where there are several hearings on important issues and detailed legislating.

In addition, a number of portfolio and select committees have scheduled oversight visits during this week. The purpose of these visits is to test the authenticity of the information provided by the departments they oversee. It’s also an opportunity to obtain first-hand knowledge from people engaged in the direct implementation of specific programmes and/or who are directly responsible for service delivery. Some of the interesting oversight visits are to the SABC, Thusong Service Centres, hospitals, NYDA offices, anti-substance abuse centres and illegal mining sites.

Two committees will also be holding public hearings outside Parliament:

The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will hold hearings on the Traditional and Khoisan Leadership Bill in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng from 27 to 31 March.

The Select Committee on Finance is scheduled to hold hearings on the Financial Sector Regulation Bill in Gauteng on 28 and 29 March.

Back in Parliament, several meetings are likely to produce big headlines:

On Tuesday, National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service will brief lawmakers on their quarterly reports. The tension between the two institutions has been boiling over for some time leading to many unsavoury headlines. MPs are expected to touch on these controversies during the meeting.

As part of the budget process, committees have to engage with departments and entities on their strategic plans, annual performance plans and budgets for the financial year. Committees then have to prepare a report for consideration by the House. This work will consume a big chunk of the second term, but several committees will get a head start this week. This includes the Portfolio Committees on Trade and Industry, Justice and Correctional Services and Human Settlements. They will be meeting with the various departments and entities that they oversee on this day.

We can expect fireworks when SAA briefs legislators on its quarterly report. In a recent reply to the Standing Committee on Finance, the state carrier revealed that it is expecting to double its loss for the 2016/17 financial year from a previously budgeted R1.7 billion to R3.5 billion. This meeting is schedule for Wednesday.

Also on the same day, the Justice Committee will process budget votes for the National Prosecuting Authority.

On Thursday, two chapter 9 institutions – the Public Protector South Africa and SA Human Rights Commission – will present their strategic plans for the year in Parliament. The new Public Protector will get an opportunity to make her mark and lay out her vision for the institution.

On Friday, it’s the turn of Legal Aid South Africa to present its budget. Also, the Ad Hoc Committee on Review of Powers and Privileges Act is set to hear a report on the international best practices and conventions relating to parliamentary powers and privileges in Kenya, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

In between, there is some detailed legislating on the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Amendment Bill, Foreign Service Bill and Communal Property Associations Bill.

The constituency period will run from 3 – 21 April. During this time, MPs have a duty to: be available to the public, help solve problems and report back to their constituents on what is happening in Parliament.

The purpose of these periods is to encourage MPs to remain in contact with the people they represent. For more information about constituency offices, click here.

View the full schedule 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.