The Week Ahead: Term One Draws to a Close

The constituency period beckons, with MPs due to sign off at the end of the week and return on 18 April 2023.

There is no opportunity to go through the motions as a fair amount of heavy-duty business will be done before they go.

The main point of interest is the President’s appearance in the NCOP – on Thursday – to answer oral questions. He will be probed on a variety of topics including the social relief of distress grant, the impact of load shedding on service delivery, greylisting and the size of cabinet.

On Tuesday, the NCOP will consider the Second Adjustments Appropriation Bill [B4 – 2023] and assorted committee reports.

NCOP delegates will participate in a Three Sphere Planning Session on Wednesday and Thursday. The focus is on delineating key priorities for consolidation and implementation during the final year of the sixth dispensation.

There are no house sittings scheduled in the NA. Instead, a number of Committees have scheduled oversight visits during this week. The purpose of the visits is to test the authenticity of the information provided by the departments these Committees oversee. It’s also an opportunity to obtain first-hand knowledge from people engaged in the direct implementation of specific programmes and/or who are directly responsible for service delivery. Some of the committees that will embark on these visits are: Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development, Standing Committee on Finance, Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation and Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs.

Beyond this, a Joint Committee of Chairpersons strategic planning workshop will take place on Monday and Tuesday. According to Parliament, “the workshop aims to equip chairpersons with the necessary skills and knowledge to complete legacy reports for the 6th term of Parliament, as this term of the sixth Parliament nears its end next year. It also seeks to interrogate questions such as: Are Parliamentary Committees doing enough towards realising the goals of the National Development Plan?”

Read: The critical role of a Committee Chairperson

Below are some of the highlights in the Committee Corridor:

TUESDAY, 28 MARCH 2023

Committee for Section 194 Enquiry, (National Assembly), [Hearings: Day 58 – Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane to appear before the Committee], Hybrid (Committee Room M46 & Virtual Meeting Platform), 10:00-17:00

WEDNESDAY, 29 MARCH 2023

Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and National Skills Fund (NSF) on progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of the Ministerial Task Team on Strategic Review of the NSF and Nexus Forensic Report; Briefing by the NSF on progress in the implementation of the audit action plan; Consideration of minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Health, (National Assembly), [NHI Final amendments proposals by the Committee; Consideration and adoption of minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-14:00

Committee for Section 194 Enquiry, (National Assembly), [Hearing: Day 59 – Adv. B Mkhwebane to appear before the Committee], Hybrid (Committee Room M46 & Virtual Meeting Platform), 10:00-17:00

THURSDAY, 30 MARCH 2023

Committee for Section 194 Enquiry, (National Assembly), [Hearing: Day 60 – Adv. B Mkhwebane to appear before the Committee], Hybrid (Committee Room M46 & Virtual Meeting Platform), 10:00-17:00

FRIDAY, 31 MARCH 2023

Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) on Third Quarter 2022/23], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Committee for Section 194 Enquiry, (National Assembly), [Hearing: Day 61 – Adv. B Mkhwebane 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.

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