The Week Ahead: MPs criss-crossing the country

It's the penultimate week for the third term and an unusual programme looms; with no sittings in the main chambers, a few meetings scheduled and lawmakers devoting most of their time to oversight work across the country.

Permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will embark on a ...

The Week Ahead: Most of the parliamentary action is in the committee corridor

There's a humdrum flavour to this week's parliamentary business in the National Assembly chamber - with MPs finishing off legislation, processing assorted statutory instruments and reports, making statements and discussing matters of public importance.

The major highlight will be the question session involving the Deputy President and Ministers in the ...

Parliamentary oversight: Few consequences

By Troye Lund

PUBLIC protector Thuli Madonsela’s revelations of widespread corruption, nepotism and maladministration at the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) did not come as a surprise to members of parliament who are charged with overseeing the state entity.

In 2013 the auditor-general (AG) was warning MPs on parliamentary ...

Op-Ed: Transparency, the missing link in political party funding

By Judith February and Lindsay Ferris

South Africa has no legislation regulating private donations to political parties private individuals and companies are able to donate as much in secret as they wish leaving the door wide open for corruption and the buying of influence. In a country already divided by ...

The Week Ahead: Curtailed programme but still serious work scheduled

There's little action on display in the main chambers and committee corridor this week.

The programme has been curtailed in order to give committees time to finalise critical legislation and other work. In addition, the revised schedule has made provision for committee chairpersons to receive media communications training. This is ...

Institute for Security Studies: Budget Guide for Members of Parliament

Parliament is required to represent the people and to ensure government by the people under the Constitution. It does so by choosing the president, by providing a national forum for public consideration of issues, by passing legislation and by scrutinising and overseeing executive action.

Parliament’s oversight of the executive is ...

The week ahead: Youth issues and oral questions take centre stage

The programmes in the main chambers offer a blend of members' statements, policy debates, legislative business, oral questions to the Deputy President and Economic Cluster and a joint debate to mark Youth Day.

During his question session in the National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday, the leader of government business ...

The week ahead: The legislature's budget vote, Nkandla, committee meetings and more

Parliament has scheduled a broad and busy programme in the main chambers as well as in the committee corridor this week.

The Legislature's budget vote is the main plenary event. During their speeches last year, the presiding officers (read here and here) focused largely on the legacy of the ...

LiveMagSA: What does the National Youth Plan say about…

By Sheilan Clarke

Government hasn’t forgotten about the youth of South Africa. So much so that The Presidency created the National Youth Plan 2020 (NYP). The draft, which was approved by Cabinet on Thursday, focuses on how to improve certain areas of the lives of young people. Deputy Minister in ...

Parliament: The good, the bad and the fair to middling

By Thulani Gqirana, Qaanitah Hunter

On March 12, Parliament failed to approve the R1.3-trillion government budget because MPs who attended the sitting did not form the necessary quorum for the vote. That budget – tabled by Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene in February – was only passed five days later, on ...