The Week Ahead: Two Inquiries & Taking Parliament to the People top the agenda

It's another low key week in the National Assembly main chamber with no sittings scheduled. All the parliamentary action will take place in the committee corridor where the schedule is full.

We will see not one, but two parliamentary inquiries this week. First, the Portfolio Committee on Police will begin ...

The Week Ahead: Public Protector Recommendation, Ministerial Question Time, Debates…

It's a busy week in the main chambers and committee corridor. Everything from Ministerial question time, to debates of public importance, to statutory appointments, to legislative business, to motions and members' statements dominate the plenary agenda. Beyond this, Parliament has scheduled a joint sitting on Thursday to mark Women's Day. ...

The Week Ahead: All out Action in the Committee Corridor

It's a low key week in the main chambers with no sittings scheduled. All the parliamentary action will take place in the committee corridor where the schedule is bursting.

The legislature’s budget vote season shows no sign of slowing down as most days are packed with long meetings as committees ...

The Week Ahead – The end of Parliament's second term looms

It's a week of farewells, loose ends and tussles…

The constituency period beckons, with MPs due to depart at the end of the week and return to Parliament on 21 July 2015. But a fair amount of heavy-duty business will be done before they go.

It's a big week 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 ...

The Week Ahead: Presidency’s budget vote takes centre stage

MPs will be relieved that the grueling budget vote schedule is nearing the end. This process began in February with the training of MPs on the processing of the budget votes and was followed by committees meeting with various departments and entities on their strategic plans, annual performance plans and ...

The Week Ahead: Packed plenary programme and committee corridor

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

The President’s oral question session in the NCOP (on Thursday) is the main plenary event. His responses to questions on the recent xenophobic attacks and the Report on Farlam Commission of ...

That week in Parliament - After the stand off

Parliament’s plenary sittings will be under scrutiny this week (and probably for the next while) following last Thursday’s dramatic and unprecedented events in the National Assembly. The House had to be suspended when the EFF disrupted proceedings and heckled the President. Chaos ensued after the EFF had demanded to know ...

Communications problems: Budget vote confusion and a DA walk-out

On Tuesday, 1 July 2014, the Communications Portfolio Committee joined with the Telecommunications and Postal Services Portfolio Committee to hear the Department of Communications’ (DoC) and GCIS’ Strategic Plans, budgets and Annual Performance Plans for 2014. The mood in the committee room was tense with opposition MPs complaining that they ...

In the spotlight this week

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 ...