The Week Ahead: Independent Panel decision & Taking Parliament to the People

There's a full and mixed flavour to the coming week's parliamentary business.

But everything will be overshadowed by the decision of the independent panel, which has to determine whether President Ramaphosa has a prima facie case to answer on Phala Phala. The Panel has until 18 November to complete its work and report to the Speaker of the National Assembly.

The ATM proposed a motion in terms of section 89 of the Constitution on the removal of the president.

Once the panel has reported, the Speaker must schedule the report for consideration by the Assembly, with due urgency, given the programme of the Assembly. In the event the Assembly resolves that a Section 89(1) enquiry be proceeded with, the matter must be referred to an Impeachment Committee to investigate.

This is the first time Parliament’s rules on the removal of a president are being tested. The stakes are high and the decision will have enormous political implications. The NCOP’s Taking Parliament to the People (TPTTP) initiative will run from 14-18 November. The TPTTP programme brings together representatives from all spheres of government and provides an opportunity for the public to engage face-to-face with elected representatives on issues pertaining to service delivery and to identify critical areas that require urgent attention.

This year, KZN is the selected province for the programme. The venue is Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre, Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality

The 2022 theme is: “Working together to ensure faster improvement in the delivery of services to communities”.

The initiative is normally conducted in three legs: the pre-visit, the main event and a report-back session (a year later) to follow up on commitments made.

The President will close the event with his annual address to the NCOP. The speech will focus on the government’s plans to tackle poverty, unemployment, inequality and under-development.

The programme is structured to include an opening ceremony, public hearings, site visits and a plenary session.

To access the detailed programme, click here

Question Time is the main plenary event in the National Assembly this week. On Wednesday, select ministers in the Economics Cluster will be probed while the Deputy President will have his turn the following day.

In addition, the House is scheduled to pass the Division of Revenue Amendment Bill. The division of revenue lays down how total government revenue should be divided and allocated between the spheres of government.

Tuesday’s agenda is pedestrian, with lawmakers considering multiple Budgetary Review and Recommendation Reports.

It's a busy week in Committee-land, particularly on the legislative front, and there are some very big and serious issues in play. Here is a rundown of the highlights:

MONDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2022

Select Committee on Security and Justice, (National Council of Provinces), [Responses by the Department of Home Affairs on written submissions received on the Electoral Amendment Bill [B1B-2022] (S75); Responses by the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on written submissions received on the Electoral Amendment Bill [B1B-2022] (S75); and Responses by the Parliamentary Legal Services on legal issues on written submissions received on the Electoral Amendment Bill [B1B-2022] (S75)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-17:00

TUESDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2022

Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly), [Clause by clause deliberations and consideration and adoption of the Committee report on the Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Bill (Rates Bill) and the Revenue Laws Amendment Bill (Revenue Laws Bill)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Communications, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Auditor-General and Department on Postbank Annual Reports for the past 3 financial years and its Corporate Plan; Deliberations / finalisation on the SA Postbank Limited Amendment Bill [B 22-2022]], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, (National Assembly), [Engagement with the National Initiation Oversight Committee (NIOC) and EC Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committee (PICC) on progress on implementation of the recommendations of the Committee in the previous initiation season], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) on migrant issues including the opening of refugee offices, statelessness and the backlog project], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, (National Assembly), [Consideration and Adoption of draft minutes and draft reports; Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill [B 2 – 2022] Oral Submissions (Round 2): Pestalozzi Trust; FEDSAS; South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU); Section 27; Cause for Justice; Centre for Child Law; SA Institute for Race Relations; Afriforum; COSATU], Committee Room S12A, Ground Floor, NCOP Wing, Parliament, 09:00-17:00

Standing Committee on Public Accounts, (National Assembly), [Briefing by SAA on the progress made by the management since the last meeting with Committee and investigations conducted by the SIU on SAA], Committee Room M46, Ground Floor, Marks Building, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Secretariat of the National Council on Gender Based Violence and Femicide on update on programmes related to gender based violence and Femicide], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-13:00

WEDNESDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2022

Standing Committee on Public Accounts, (National Assembly), [09:00-10:00: Discussion on the Parliamentary Legal Service opinion regarding the State Security Agency 2014 Cabinet directive on vetting; 10:00-13:30: Follow up meeting with investigating agencies regarding collaboration on cases being investigated (SIU, Hawks and NPA)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:30

Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Red Tape Reduction Task Team in the Presidency], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Police, (National Assembly), [Consideration of the A-List on the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Amendment Bill [B15-2022]], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Denel on a progress update on the implementation of the turnaround strategy], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00

THURSDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2022

Select Committee on Finance, (National Council of Provinces), [Responses by National Treasury and SARS on the submissions received on Tax Administration Laws Amendment Bill (TALAB) and the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill (TLAB), and Rates bill; Consideration of the bill clause by clause], Virtual Meeting Platform, 18:00

FRIDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2022

Standing Committee on Appropriations, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Department of Social Development and the South African Social Security Agency on the 2022 Adjustments Appropriation Bill], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00 Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, (National Assembly), [Public hearings on the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill [B13 – 2021]], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Committee for Section 194 Enquiry, (National Assembly), [Hearings: Day 35 – Mr Cornelius van der Merwe to appear before the Committee for cross-examination by Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane legal team, and for an interaction with Committee members], Hybrid (Committee Room M46, Ground Floor, Marks Building and Virtual Meeting Platform), 10:00

Committees provide a platform for the public to present views directly to MPs. Share your thoughts, on-the-ground experience and expert information with the relevant committees. Critically, what questions should MPs pose to the Executive as they conduct their oversight work? Write to a Parliamentary Committee

View the schedule page here.

*This summary is based on the schedule as it is published on Monday morning. The programme is subject to frequent updating so the link above needs to be checked daily to confirm the programme for the day.

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