The first session for the President to provide answers to questions for oral reply from Members of the National Assembly (NA) proceeded smoothly this afternoon – an indication that all parties are committed to working together to make Parliament work.
This was despite initial lengthy deliberations about questions which President Jacob Zuma had not answered in the last questions for oral reply session on 21 August 2014. The President had subsequently provided written replies to the remaining questions.
Today’s sitting was in accordance with the Rule about scheduling questions to the President, adopted in June 2002. In keeping with Parliament’s constitutional mandate, the Rule obliges the President to answer questions for oral reply at least once per term in any one year. The number of questions per oral reply question day is limited to six questions. Members may also ask supplementary questions for each of the six.
In addition to the question session today, the President is scheduled also to appear on 18 June, 6 August and 19 November.
In the National Council of Provinces, the Presidency has proposed 14 May as the date for the President to answer questions.
Today’s question session, witnessed by members of the public who packed the galleries in the NA Chamber and which Parliament, as usual, filmed and made available to media as broadcast feed, follows a meeting last week of the Presiding Officers with party leaders in Parliament.
The sitting was in keeping with the spirit of that meeting where there was broad agreement among the parties that the current political climate needed to be improved.
