The Week Ahead: The Second Term Begins

The virtual/hybrid Parliament will continue for another term, with some MPs working from the precinct and others remotely.

According to the latest timetable, the NA programme will run for 9 weeks and the NCOP for 10 weeks.

Some of the highlights include committee, oversight, and legislative work; oral questions to the Executive; section 194 Public Protector Inquiry; important debates and appointments as well a review of the national budget.

In addition, scrutiny of government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic will continue. MPs will use a range of oversight tools to get answers. We have consolidated our reports on the COVID-19 related meetings here.

The timetable is fluid and can be overtaken by unscheduled debates, statements and events.

Over the next few weeks, committees will be meeting with departments and entities to pore over their Strategic Plans, Annual Performance Plans and proposed budgets for 2022/23.

This forms part of Parliament's consideration of the annual budget. Government can only spend money if it has been approved by Parliament.

The legislature’s budget vote season is a sprint. This annual ritual includes meetings with line departments and entities to hear their priorities and targets for the financial year. Traditionally, Ministers and their deputies are part of these engagements. Committees then draft a Report where they analyse the Plans as presented to them and make observations and recommendations. Committees must lobby the Standing Committee on Appropriations if they want to introduce budget amendments. These reports form the basis from which MPs debate the budget and Annual Performance Plans of departments and their entities. This process culminates with the approval of funds to a department as a Budget Vote.

The Budget must be passed by Parliament before the end of June, in line with statutory requirements.

See: Budget Vote debates schedule

Oversight visits provide Committees with an opportunity to assess progress made and test the authenticity of the information provided by government entities. In keeping with this oversight mandate, eight committees have planned trips to various parts of the country this week: Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development; Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry; Portfolio Committee on Transport; Standing Committee on Appropriations (SCOA); Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises; Portfolio Committee on Tourism; Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans and Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy.

SCOA oversight visit to the Gauteng Province from 19 to 22 April 2022 to the following entities:

  • South African National Defence Force: to engage with the leadership as well as organised labour with a view to addressing the capacity and ability of the SANDF to protect and defend the sovereignty of the Republic as envisioned in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, given the baseline reductions in budget allocations over the last decade.

  • Denel SOC Ltd. (Denel) and Armscor Armaments Corporation South Africa SOC Ltd. (Armscor): To assess the magnitude of the financial and operational challenges facing the entities given its importance to the South African Defence Related Industry for prime mission equipment.

PC Public Ent Oversight Visit to Eskom, Denel, SAA and South African Express Airways.

Beyond this, the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements has arranged public hearings on the Housing Consumer Protection Bill from 22-24 April in the Eastern Cape.

Here is a rundown of the highlights in the committee corridor:

TUESDAY, 19 APRIL 2022

Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, (National Assembly), [Responses by the DPWI on issues raised during the consideration of the Expropriation Bill, [B23-2020] clause by clause], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the DTIC on its Strategic and Annual Performance Plans, which will reflect on SONA and Budget as it relates to its mandate], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:30

Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, (National Assembly), [Portfolio Committee Strategic Planning Session. Strategic Planning Session to include: Consideration and Adoption of Committee Report on Budget Vote 16: Basic Education Portfolio Committee Strategic Plan (2019 – 2024); Portfolio Committee Annual Performance Plan (2022 – 2023); Reflection on Portfolio Committee (2021 – 22); and Processing the BELA Bill (i.e. Unpacking the Project Plan for Public Participation)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-12:30

Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation, (National Assembly), [Briefing the Department of Water and Sanitation and South African Local Government Association (SALGA) on the proposed water tariffs determinations by Water Boards for the 2022/23 financial year], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-13:00

WEDNESDAY, 20 APRIL 2022

Portfolio Committee on Police, (National Assembly), [Budget hearings briefings: South African Police Service (SAPS), Programme 1: Administration and Programme 2: Visible Policing. Budget hearings briefings: South African Police Service, Programme 3: Detectives; DPCI budget, Programme 4: Crime intelligence and programme 5: Protection and Security], Virtual Meeting Platform, 08:00-14:00

Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, (National Assembly), [Responses by the DPWI on issues raised during the consideration of the Expropriation Bill, [B23-2020] clause by clause, Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Social Development, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Auditor General on APP reviews and capacity building on the audits of the Department of Social Development and its entities; Consideration of the DSD’s strategic plan (2020-2025), Annual Performance Plan and budget for 2022/23 financial year; Consideration of the SASSA’s strategic plan (2020-2025), Annual Performance Plan and budget for 2022/23 financial year], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-17:00

Select Committee on Security and Justice, (National Council of Provinces), [Presentation by the Department on the Amendments to Regulations for approval, in terms of section 97(2) of the Child Justice Act, 2008 (Act No 75 of 2008)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, (National Assembly), [ Briefing by Minister on the Departmental responses to the findings of the Ministerial Task Team on the procurement of Heberon medication from Cuba by the DOD; Presentations by Content Advisor and Researcher on Analyses of budgets and Annual Performance Plans of DOD, DMV, CCB and Armscor], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-13:00

THURSDAY, 21 APRIL 2022

Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Human Settlements Entities on Budget, Strategic Plans and revised Annual Performance Plans 2022/23: National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC); Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA); Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 15:00-18:00

FRIDAY, 22 APRIL 2022

Portfolio Committee on Police, (National Assembly), [Budget hearings briefings: Independent Police Investigative (IPID), Budget hearings briefings, Civilian Secretariat for Police Service (CSPS), Budget hearings: Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 08:00-14:00

Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, (National Assembly), [Responses by the Department of Home Affairs and the Electoral Commission on the draft public participation report on the Electoral Amendment Bill [B 1 – 2022]. Briefing by the Electoral Commission IEC on the report of the Local Government Elections (LGE)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Portfolio Committee on Social Development, (National Assembly), [Consideration of the NDA’s strategic plan (2020-2025), Annual Performance Plan and budget for 2022/23 financial year], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Portfolio Committee on Health, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Department of Health on the Annual Performance Plan and Budget for 2022/23 financial year], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-13:00

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](https://pmg.org.za/blog/Committees:%20Write%20to%20a%20Parliamentary%20Committee?utm_campaign=minute-alert&utm_source=transactional&utm_medium=email "Write to a Parliamentary Committee").

View the schedule page here.

View the Provincial Legislatures' schedule 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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