Johannesburg - Parliamentary duties for members of Parliament are set to kick off this week with a bumper schedule, especially for Public Protector (PP) advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office during the Section 194 committee enquiry.
According to Parliament, today the committee for the Section 194 Enquiry into Mkhwebane’s Fitness to Hold Office will hold its first hearings for 2023 by hearing testimony from Caroline Zulu-Sokoni, PP of the Republic of Zambia. Zulu-Sokoni was called as a witness by Mkhwebane.
On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, witnesses will continue to appear.
According to a parliamentary statement, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is starting its year on Tuesday with a three-day hybrid workshop to sharpen MPs’ understanding of how to effectively use and interpret the Constitution, the NCOP’s rules, and the available laws and policies to conduct oversight effectively and robustly.
The statement said the objective of the training is “to ensure a member-centric integrated personal development and informative session to empower MPs to undertake their constitutional function of holding the executive accountable”.
According to the statement, the training will also focus on, among other things, the application of the sub judice rule in Parliament, developing effective municipal support and intervention mechanisms, understanding the constitutional role and mandate of the NCOP in the oversight process, and the principles guiding public participation in Parliament and its Committees.
“About 12 committee meetings are scheduled for this week to consider a range of issues, including the finalisation of bills, the continuation of hearings on the fitness of the suspended public protector to hold office, and public hearings on the Railway Safety Bill in KwaZulu-Natal and the Climate Change Bill in Mpumalanga,” read the statement.
The portfolio committee on water and sanitation will consider and approve the outstanding minutes as well as the committee programme for the first term of 2023 on Tuesday: engagement with the Department of Water and Sanitation on resolutions regarding recommendations made by the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation on Water and Sanitation sector issues; 2022-23 Annual Performance Plans of the department and entities; and the oversight visit to the Eastern Cape.
The Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour considered and adopted the following items: the outstanding draft minutes (November16 and 30 2022); Committee Draft 1st Term Programme 2023; Update by the UIF and CF (Compensation Fund) on the audit outcomes by the AGSA (Auditor-General of SA); and the briefing by the Department of Employment and Labour on the First Quarterly Performance Report 2022/23 of DEL (Department of Employment and Labour), UIF and CF.
The Star