National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has written to Deputy President Mashatile, in his capacity as the Leader of Government Business, expressing concerns about the quality of replies from ministers to parliamentary questions.
Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers
Parliament has escalated its concern with the quality of answers that are received from ministers on parliamentary questions with Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
This comes after MPs have repeatedly complained about ministers not answering questions to their satisfaction and presiding officers protecting members of the executive.
The National Assembly spent more than 30 minutes on Wednesday because there were issues about the responses of two ministers during a question-and-answer session.
National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza indicated the concern of the presiding officers about what happened on Wednesday.
“I think there were ways they could manage our House better so that we can ensure the business of the day is not compromised. We will look at how we continuously improve on the functionality of our House and adherence to our rules,” she said.
Didiza also said they have written to Mashatile expressing concerns of the parliamentarians about the quality of answers that are received to questions.
“Some members have improved, but there are difficulties with others, and hopefully the deputy president will continue to work with us to ensure both questions from our members and the executive that accountability is done without compromise,” she said.
The issue of ministers’ replies was discussed by the parties’ chief whips.
ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli said it was the view of the Chief Whips Forum that the matter be conveyed to Mashatile in his capacity as the Leader of Government Business.
Ntuli said there has been a concern about the extent to which ministers and deputy ministers answer questions.
“We have made an observation that in certain instances, we are not satisfied with the way in which the questions are answered, and of course, we do not want to tell the executive how they must respond to our questions, but we want them to answer our questions because they are accountable to us as Parliament,” he said.
Ntuli said they would like to see a scenario where presiding officers intervene when there is a complete failure to respond to a question by members of the executive.
He added that when a minister does not have answers, at least, he or she just stands up and says, “I don't think I'm in a position to adequately answer that question; allow me to come back to you in writing or in the next session.”
EFF MP Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi said they have been raising the issue on many occasions at the Chief Whips Forum and Programme Committee.
Mkhaliphi said they maintain that the executive was accountable to Parliament.
She noted that they experience instances where presiding officers protect ministers on the ground that they have answered when the MPs felt otherwise.
“The Chief Whips Forum says that let us not protect the executive because if we do that, it means that this Parliament will become toothless and we are not going to be taken serious by the executive,” said Mkhaliphi.
MK Party MP Visvin Reddy raised the issue of Parliament becoming like a toothless body and called for a workshop for the House Chairpersons to take a cue from Didiza.
“I mean, (Wednesday), the Chair of the meeting was very rude. I don't know whether she got up on the wrong side of the bed or what really happened there,” Reddy said.
Didiza said the matter has been raised before, and there have been deliberations with Mashatile.
“We are taking that matter up and will also address it in the (National) Assembly itself, to just once again remind honourable members of the executive of the obligation they have in terms of their accountability to Parliament,” she said.
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za