In its endeavour to create a platform through which community members can petition Parliament, the Committee on Private Members Legislative Proposals and Petitions is in a process of ensuring that Parliament promulgates a National Petitions Act.
According to Mr Setlamorago Thobejane, Chairperson of the Committee, the process of visiting provincial legislatures is intended to help Parliament promulgate its Petitions Act informed by how acts of the various provincial legislatures are implemented. Currently, parliamentary petitions processes are governed by the rules of the National Assembly for the Committee and by the Rules of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
Mr Thobejane added that it was in the Committee’s best interest to ensure that people enjoyed their right to petition and were able to hold their public representatives to account. “Our people need to be able to raise their concerns directly to their representatives and we believe that this act will afford them that opportunity,” said Mr Thobejane.
Today the Committee met with the North West Legislature to hear how this legislature conducts its petitioning process.
Ms Wendy Matsimela, Acting-Chairperson of the North West Standing Committee on Petitions, said the Legislatures Act was enacted in 2010 to give effect of to section 17 of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The Act shall prevail in the event of any conflict with any other law, except the Constitution or an Act of Parliament.
“It gives effect to the provisions of the Constitution’s Bill of Rights through the promotion of petitions through legislative measures meant to protect persons disadvantaged by unfair discrimination, both past and present,” said Ms Matsimela
Ms Matsimela also agreed that there was a need for a National Petitions Act that will guide how provincial legislatures should deal with petitions and called on Parliament to pace up this process.
The Committee said that these engagements are geared towards ensuring that Parliament promulgates a petitions act that will help benefit the people.
The committee will tomorrow visit the Free State legislature on the same exercise.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Committee Chairperson, Mr Setlamorago Thobejane, please contact:
Temba Gubula
Cell: 078 735 8809
Fax: 021 403 3931
Cell: 021 403 8307
E-mail: tgubula@parliament.gov.za
