Oversight is a key constitutional responsibility of Parliament. It is about keeping the Executive in check and so making sure that services are delivered to the people and delivered in the manner that they should be.
It is in this context that the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), one of Parliament’s two Houses, is this week embarking on preliminary oversight visits covering the Tshwane Metro, starting on Tuesday (17 September).
The visits are part of the Taking Parliament to the People programme and aim to get first hand information on the ground on what the Executive has done, or not done, in the area. The Executive will be informed of the findings and asked to rectify issues of concern.
This week’s preliminary visits will be followed by a formal sitting of the NCOP in Tshwane during October, where National, Provincial and Local Government will be invited to engage directly with the people.
The Taking Parliament to the People programme started in 2002 and gives effect to the constitutional obligation that the NCOP serves as a forum for the consideration of matters affecting the provinces. The programme is based on the premise that the NCOP is crucial to overseeing cooperative government.
This week’s preliminary visits to a range of programmes and projects in, among others, Garankuwa, Winterveld, Hammanskraal, Kameeldrift , Cullinan, Silverton and Soshanguve, will culminate in a public meeting on 20 September in Hammanskraal.
NCOP Chairperson, Mr Mninwa Mahlangu, will address the meeting.
In addition to the preliminary visits by Members of the NCOP, committees of that House as well as those in the National Assembly (NA) will be working around the clock to finalise legislation.
As at 3 September, 35 Bills had been introduced to Parliament and 17 had been sent to the President for assent, compared to the whole of last year’s session when 45 Bills were introduced and 25 sent to the President for assent.
The ad-hoc Committee to consider the report of the Public Protector on the Electoral Commission’s procurement of head office premises and the ad-hoc Committee to consider President Jacob Zuma’s reservations with the Protection of State Information Bill are expected to get to work soon. The deadline for both ad-hoc Committees to report to the NA is 31 October.
