The Week Ahead: SONA Debate

The main highlight is the joint debate on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Tuesday and Wednesday as well as the President’s response to the debate on Thursday.

This occasion is a highlight on the parliamentary calendar as all party leaders and heavyweight MPs take part.

The debate follows a predictable path: the opposition is critical of the President and governing party for presenting a wish list and failing to deliver on past SONA promises. In return, the governing party defends the President, the government's record and proposals and points out weaknesses in the opposition.

Further, the debate is punctuated by jibes, rhetoric, heckling and points of order. Many of the speeches tend to depart from the purpose of the debate and at times, resembles a Comedy Central roast as speaker after speaker bears their political fangs.

With the 2024 elections in the background, we can expect MPs to use every possible parliamentary occasion - question time, Members’ statements, debates, whatever – to target hot-button election issues and try to score political points over their opponents. Opposition parties were unimpressed with the speech and described it as lacklustre. Particular concern was raised about the creation of a new ministry and the declaration of a national state of disaster.

The start of the speech was delayed as the EFF was removed by force and the ATM’s leader was ordered out of House. The fallout from this has been swift. The EFF has demanded an apology, plans to table a motion of no confidence against the Speaker and threatened court action. The ATM has indicated that it will take up the Speaker’s “biased” and unprocedural decision with the Rules Committee. Meanwhile, Parliament has referred the circumstances of the physical removal of members from the Chamber during SONA to the Joint Rules Committee for consideration.

Provincial public hearings on three bills will take place later in the week:

• Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment: Climate Change Bill (Limpopo)
• Portfolio Committee on Transport: Railway Safety Bill (Eastern Cape)
• Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy: Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill (Western Cape)

Elsewhere, the ATM will be in the Western Cape High Court this week. The party has asked the court to set aside the open ballot system that was used by the Speaker of the National Assembly during the debate on the Section 89 Panel report.

There is a mixture of routine and important business in Committee-land.Here is a run-down of some of the most interesting meetings:

MONDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2023 Committee for Section 194 Enquiry, (National Assembly), [Hearings: Day 44 – Ms Bianca Mvuyana to appear before the Committee], Hybrid (Committee Room M46 & Virtual Meeting Platform), 10:00-17:00 Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration (Sub-Committee), (National Assembly), [Shortlisting of the Candidates for the Public Service Commission Commissioner vacancy], Virtual Meeting Platform, 14:00-17:00

TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023

Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Auditor-General on audit outcomes of National Treasury and its entities; Consideration of letter from Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers: Draft Job Profiles of Commissioners of the FFC], Virtual Meeting Platform, 18:00-21:00

WEDNESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2023

Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly), [Briefing by National Treasury and SARS on their annual reports], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Committee for Section 194 Enquiry, (National Assembly), [Hearings: Day 45 – Ms Bianca Mvuyana to appear before the Committee], Hybrid (Committee Room M46 & Virtual Meeting Platform), 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Social Development, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Department of Social Development and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) on the status report on the payment of social grants], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00

Standing Committee on Appropriations, (National Assembly), [Briefing by National Treasury on the 3rd Quarter Expenditure Patterns for the 2022/23 financial year; Briefing by Office of the Chief Procurement Officer on the deviations and expansions for the 3rd Quarter of the 2022/23 financial year], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Transnet on an update on the overall business, including socio-economic contributions in terms of job creation, skills development, promotion and support of small and medium enterprises; Consideration and adoption of draft minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00

THURSDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2023

Committee for Section 194 Enquiry, (National Assembly), [Hearings: Day 46 – Ms Bianca Mvuyana to appear before the Committee], Hybrid (Committee Room M46 & Virtual Meeting Platform), 09:00-13:00

FRIDAY, 17 FEBRUARY 2023 Portfolio Committee on Police, (National Assembly), [Pre–release briefing: Third Quarter Crime Statistics (2022/23 FY)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 08:00-10:00

Portfolio Committee on Communications, (National Assembly), [Finalisation on the SA Postbank Limited Amendment Bill [B 22-2022]; Briefing by the Department on: (i) BBI Integrated Annual Report for 2021/2022 financial year; and (ii) all outstanding legal cases in the Portfolio; Adoption of Report on the Public Protector’s Report 113 of 2021/22], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Committee for Section 194 Enquiry, (National Assembly), [Hearings: Day 47 – Public Protector witness to appear before the Committee], Hybrid (Committee Room M46 & Virtual Meeting Platform), 10:00-17:00

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. View the provincial legislature's schedule here.

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