Only five days to go until President Zuma takes to the podium to read out the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA), where he will open Parliament for the second time this year and report on the status of the nation. As Parliament prepares for this important event, many ...

Yesterday's National Assembly Rules Committee meeting chaired by Speaker Balaleka Mbete saw the consideration of the report by the Task Team set up to consider clustering Portfolio Committees (PCs). As reported by People’s Assembly yesterday, the Task Team rejected the proposal.

Reporting back on behalf of the Task Team, the ...

Last week the Rules Committee created a sub committee to discuss clustering / reducing the number of portfolio committees as a means of coping with oversight over an enlarged Executive. They met yesterday and voted to maintain the status quo i.e. that Portfolio Committees (PCs) would continue to mirror cabinet ...

It’s Youth Month and with Youth Day around the corner, People’s Assembly has decided to give you a breakdown on why this day, 16 June, is so important. We will be providing you with little snippets of information about “Youth” as the weeks go by. So, keep looking out for ...

The National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) was established through an Act of Parliament in 1994; one of the first Acts of the democratic government. Government entities often consult with Nedlac on issues concerning labour and economic development, so what role do they play in policy development and the ...

Yesterday, during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Rules Committee, there was a proposal by the ANC to change the NA’s current portfolio committee structure, which would see a reduction in the number of portfolio committees in the House.

Parliament staff member, Francois Basson, told People’s Assembly, “Yesterday there was ...

People’s Assembly will be providing you with weekly updates on the State of the Nation Address (SONA), which will be happening shortly. This article will focus on logistical information such as when and where the SONA will take place, but also talks about the importance of it.

President Jacob Zuma’s ...

Replacing MPs: How does it work?

From Lindiwe Mazibuko to Max Sisulu, the last few weeks have seen a number of high profile MPs across the political spectrum exit Parliament. A total of 19 MPs have been unable to take up their seats, such as the Agang’s Mamphele Ramphele, for ...

Yesterday, 3 June, new Members of Parliament (MPs) began a training course to learn the ins and outs of the complex legislative process and the processes and procedures of Parliament. Known as the on-boarding programme, new Members of the Fifth Parliament are given an induction, orientation and training to acquire ...

2014 marks the twentieth year of democracy, and the end of the Fourth Parliament in South Africa. This overview highlights aspects of the work done by Parliament between 2009 and 2014. This is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis, but a broad sweep over some of the matters that ...