Mps

No tenders for MPs' business partner or family

Members of Parliament adopted a revised Code of Conduct today, which included a provision banning them from doing business with the state. The code goes further and places limitations on their family members and business partners business dealings with the state.

During a meeting of the Joint Rules Committee yesterday, ...

"Secondment" Bill bulldozed through Parliament?

Most Members of the Democratic Alliance walked out of the National Assembly yesterday as the vote to adopt the Public Administration Management (PAM) Bill took place. According to the DA, the Bill has been rushed through Parliament, evident by the fact that public hearings on the Bill were held on ...

Election list surprises and the way forward

Yesterday, 12 March, marked the deadline for political parties intending to contest the national election to submit their candidate lists that will represent them in Parliament, says the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The ANC has released three lists – a national list featuring MPs who will serve in ...

Conservative spending or widening the deficit?

Today, the Select Committee on Appropriations received a post-budget presentation from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), focusing on various factors affecting revenue and expenditure as well as the country’s economic growth, which is predicted to be quite low over the next three years. The question also arose as to whether ...

“We are ready to run these elections” says IEC

The Home Affairs Portfolio Committee received a briefing by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) today, with mostly positive stories from the IEC regarding their preparation and state of readiness for the national election, come 7 May 2014.

IEC Deputy Chairperson, Terry Tselane, told the Committee that although “we ...

#Get to know your MPs in the Twittersphere

The People’s Assembly website has been set up to bridge the divide between ordinary citizens and their elected representatives. One of the ways we do this is by providing contact details- this includes parliamentary office numbers, constituency office numbers and personal cell phone numbers- of MPs.

However in this technological ...

Salaries to be made uniform for all independent constitutional institutions

The National Assembly is shortly due to consider the Determination of Remuneration of Office Bearers of Independent Constitutional Institutions Laws Amendment Bill. This aims to establish a uniform and equitable framework for determining the salaries, allowances and benefits of the Public Protector, the Auditor-General and members of any commissions provided ...

Expert warns about state of higher education

Higher Education South Africa (HESA) briefed the Higher Education and Training Portfolio Committee today on the state of higher education in the country, touching on lack of student access and opportunities, postgraduate education, higher education transformation, and the challenge of funding. HESA warned that there was a lot more that ...

SANDF facilities in disrepair: Defence Department holds Public Works responsible

Today, Secretary of Defence, Dr Sam Gulube, reported back to the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans about the strained relations between the Departments of Defence and Public Works with regards to a massive backlog in the poor maintenance of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) facilities.

The backlog ...

Sneak Peak: Proposed amendments to unemployment insurance act

Today, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Labour was made privy to the Department of Labour’s proposed amendments to the Unemployment Insurance Act (ACT No. 63 of 2001). While the Bill still has to be officially introduced to the National Assembly by Cabinet, acting Deputy Director-General, Thembinkosi Mkhaliphi, on behalf of Minister ...