With the 2014 elections fast approaching, some media reports have bemoaned levels of voter apathy in South Africa, with The Citizen declaring “SA Voter Apathy Worrying” (The Citizen, 4 March, 2014) and The Star calling for “Change Needed to Fight Voter Apathy” (The Star, 7 November 2013). But while ...
The Portfolio Committee on Social Development held a meeting on Tuesday, 11 March, to respond to a petition submitted to Parliament last year by “Concerned Pensioners” on behalf of over 2 800 pensioners. The petition focused on the disappointment pensioners felt with both national and local government, who had failed ...
There is a new phenomenon among the elderly in South Africa – the use of condoms as a remedy for arthritis.
This unusual cure was revealed to none other than the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, by one of his ANC colleagues during a Health Portfolio Committee meeting ...
On Tuesday, 5 March, the Department of Correctional Services briefed the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services on the implementation of the Medical Parole Provision of the Correctional Matters Amendment Act 2011 (Act no 5 of 2011).
As the Constitution makes provision for inmates to have the right to adequate health ...
With only two weeks left before Parliament rises, it is not a surprise that the National Assembly has planned two plenary sessions for Tuesday and the scheduled sittings for Wednesday and Thursday are expected to finish late in the day.
On Wednesday, the Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will provide oral ...
On Wednesday, 26 February, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan tabled the Budget in Parliament. The national budget is essentially the announcement of government’s estimated spending (dividing state coffers between the three ties of the state), borrowing and tax plans for the forthcoming three years.
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has a word ...
Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, briefed MPs of the Health Portfolio Committee today, 26 February, on the roll out of the National Health Insurance (NHI) programme and the progress made so far throughout the provinces.
The NHI is being implemented as a way to make quality health care available for ...
Pravin Gordhan’s budget speech on Wednesday will be the main highlight this week in Parliament.
In the 2013 MTBPS Speech by Minister Pravin Gordhan the following challenges were enumerated:
● “Growth is too slow.
● Unemployment is high and many households are over-indebted.
● Government expenditure substantially exceeds our revenue. ...
Punctuated by heckling, insult trading and truckloads of rhetoric, Tuesday 19 February saw the second day of the two-day State of the Nation (SONA) debates descend into a rather raucous state of affairs. Amid the now hackneyed use of the “good news” refrain, laundry lists of national government policy successes ...
Political party funding: Who pays the Piper? Who calls the tune? by Mark Heywood
In less than four months, in compliance with our Constitution’s injunction that gives “every citizen has the right to free, fair and regular elections for any legislative body established in terms of the Constitution” the Independent ...