Input by Honourable Raseriti Tau, Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces at the occasion of the annual address by the President of South Africa - Theme: “Celebrating 20 Years of a Democratic Parliament – Together moving the NCOP forward as a vanguard of the interests of Provinces”
Your Excellency, President Jacob Zuma,
Chairperson of the NCOP, The Hon Thandi Modise,
Chief Whip of the NCOP, The Hon Dr Hunadi Mateme,
Honourable Members,
Distinguished guests in the gallery.
This annual address by the President to the NCOP is indeed a very significant undertaking of our burgeoning democracy. It lends credence and validity to the Constitutional legitimacy of the NCOP, as a potent platform for expressing provincial interests.
Madam Chairperson,
As we celebrate 20 years of our democratic parliament, which is an apex achievement in building a responsive People’s Parliament and a compelling metaphor of our democratic stability in South Africa.
It is indeed good to be a South African today. Particularly as we reflect on the cumbersome and testing journey of transformation, which began 20 years ago through the efforts of our architects of democracy.
Having battled the unrelenting onslaught to harm the reputation of our nation’s leadership collective, through attempts aimed at decreasing respect, regard, or confidence in the democratic systems that we have worked so diligently to build and sustain, we still remain standing.
Despite the concerted attempts to damage the good name and reputation of our leadership collective over the years, particularly through the manipulation and framing of information, we still remain standing as a movement on course, to transcend South Africa into a new dimension of radical economic transformation.
Madam Chairperson,
It is worth noting that the slander and contempt that we are often faced with as a movement, was indeed also experienced by the founding fathers and architects of democracy.
Honourable Members,
In his State of the Nation Address, of 17 February 1995, Nelson Mandela said: “Whatever our critics might have to say, we can take pride in the fact that not only did we succeed in establishing our two Houses of Parliament, as required by the Constitution, we have also ensured that they play their role in the governance of our country”.
Today, we too can take pride in the fact that we have succeeded in building a burgeoning democratic Parliament with an illustrious 20 year life span. I believe that it is safe to say that we have advanced light years ahead in our resolve to dismantle the oppressive systems of the past and we continue to break new ground every day, particularly with the institutional deliverables that we have garnered as an institution.
Mr President,
I also believe that we have proven our political dexterity as an ideologically relevant movement, which continues to deploy the very best in its ranks to lead this nation forward. If our struggle heroes were able to withstand intimidation, torture and displacement, surely we too can withstand the vile manifestations of untruths and slander.
Madam Chairperson,
In the past 20 years, this house has often come under attack and harsh criticism. This onslaught is often initiated by those who criticize carelessly, through feeble attempts that often display feeble political posturing. These are attempts that often seek to weaken or misconstrue the legitimacy of our democratic institutions, in an effort to delegitimize this era of democratic evolution.
Despite the regressive rhetoric that often attempts to reduce the legitimacy of this institution, it is an undisputed fact that we remain to be a constitutionally mandated and relevant institution. We will continue to evolve in dynamism, relevance and potency, as a catalysing institution, which aptly echoes the voices of our people.
It is certainly through the democratic sacraments practiced on the NCOP institutional platform, where bring together all spheres of government, that we will achieve our goals of Radical Economic Transformation in our life time.
Fellow South Africans,
Today, it is indeed good to be a South African, as we not only celebrate the democratic transition of a nation, but reflect on the key catalyst that is the institution of parliament, which is the hallmark of legislative transition in our country.
Over the last 17 years of the NCOP’s lifecycle, we have taken concerted efforts to ensure that the historic echo of the Freedom Charter which states that, “the people shall govern”, is indeed aptly reverberated in our legislative processes. To this end, we cannot celebrate 20 years of a democratic parliament without recounting and acknowledging the legislative milestones achieved by this institution.
Madam Chairperson,
The National Parliament and in particular, the NCOP, has a constitutional mandate set out in Chapter 4 and 6 of the Constitution. This legislative mandate relates among others to the key functions of law making, oversight of the executive and ensuring public participation in legislative processes.
The founding father of our democracy President Nelson Mandela also recounted that because the people of South Africa finally chose a profoundly legal path to their revolution, those who frame and enact a constitution and law are in the vanguard of the fight for change.
It is in the legislatures that the instruments have been fashioned to create a better life for all. It is here that oversight of government has been exercised. It is here that our society in all its formations has had an opportunity to influence policy and its implementation.
We must therefore note the progressive laws that have been passed by this parliament, and in particular acknowledge the role that the NCOP has played in transforming South Africa.
We need to juxtapose the ideological doctrines of our democracy’s predecessor. The past 20 years bear testament to the fact that this institution has worked tirelessly to produce legislative instruments, which are inspired by social justice and principles of democracy.
From the Senate to the NCOP
Honourable members,
I believe that it is imperative to reflect on the evolution of this institution from the Senate to the NCOP, in order to appreciate the extent of our growth as a legislative institution. After our interim constitution of 1993 established our democratic parliament, a bicameral Parliament (namely the National Assembly and the Senate) was established.
However, the Senate was unable to meet the needs of the new South Africa with its democratic, intergovernmental system - hence the establishment of the NCOP by the 1996 Constitution.
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) therefore came into existence with the adoption of the Constitution of South Africa in 1996.
To this effect, the NCOP was established to be the centre of co-operative government and intergovernmental relations, as it brought together all the spheres of government, including local government, under one roof.
Over the last 17 years, the NCOP has continued to provide provinces with a forum in which to engage with national government on matters concerning areas of shared national and provincial legislative powers, while overseeing the programmes and activities of national government relating to provincial and local government matters.
Due to its unique positioning, this institution has established its own systems which have greatly contributed to the growth of our democracy. Key amongst these includes Conducting Oversight, Public Participation, Co-operative Government and international participation. Through these instruments, the NCOP has been able to oversee executive action through its oversight and accountability function.
We have taken radical steps to ensure that more time was set aside to conduct oversight activities by Select Committees. To this end, special oversight weeks were introduced thus creating more time for the NCOP to synchronize oversight activities with those of provincial legislatures.
Some of the issues that came out of the oversight activities included the following:
- Poverty, particularly in rural areas
- The need for increased empowerment and creation of opportunities for women, youth and people with disabilities
- The need for support to job creation initiatives
- The need to address educational, economic and social needs; and
- The need to make the necessary interventions in the area of land reform
In seeking to respond to the above challenges, the NCOP in 20014 held a roundtable on the empowerment of women, children and the elderly. The roundtable looked at the passed legislation and its effect on the empowerment and creation of opportunities for women, youth and people with disabilities.
In an effort to deepen participatory democracy, we have introduced strategic programmatic interventions, in order to bridge the gap between the NCOP and the people it serves. The following were some of the programmes, which have begun to catalyse meaningful interaction between the NCOP and provinces since the dawn of democracy in South Africa.
Taking Parliament to the People
During 1999 and 2004 the NCOP launched the institutional flagship platform for public participation, namely the NCOP Taking Parliament to the People programme. The programme encourages citizen involvement and participation in responding to service delivery challenges facing communities. The programme also provides an opportunity for oversight. This is the programme that brings all spheres of government together under one roof.
The President or the Deputy President participates on the last day of the week-long duration of the programme, addressing a full sitting of the House. The programme was important in that it provided access to people from rural areas that would otherwise not have had the opportunity to interact directly with a House of Parliament.
Provincial Week
Provincial Week is another key programme which seeks to improve Inter-Governmental Relations across key entities or spheres that provide important services to our people.
The programme is also intended to provide Permanent Delegates of the NCOP, Members of the Provincial Legislatures, Salga and the Office of the Auditor-General the opportunity to interact and engage with various government departments, municipalities and members of communities.
Often the provincial and municipal plans and programmes would be considered. This platform continues to initiate strategic dialogue amongst all stakeholders at local and provincial level.
The role of South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
Salga has played a very integral role in positioning local interest on this platform. This contribution has enriched the content of NCOP strategic outputs, particularly in sharing intelligence and insight on the state of affairs at municipalities. In going forward we need to strengthen SALGAs participatory role, in order to radically improve the delivery of services at local level.
Local Government Week
This programme is an important means to fulfil the constitutional injunction which stipulates that National and Provincial government must support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities. It continues to serve as an important platform for the sharing of information about matters that pertain to local government, helping with the proper articulation in the national sphere.
NCOP Public Lecture
The public lecture series targeted institutions of higher learning across the country in order to deepen democracy through engagement of the community with academic institutions, while at the same time raising awareness about the work of the NCOP.
Children’s programme
As part of marking its 15th anniversary, in 2012 the NCOP paid particular attention to matters affecting children. This culminated in the hosting of a seminar on the rights of children. The uniqueness of this seminar, which was organised in partnership with UNICEF, was that it was informed by the direct voices of children from provinces.
The NCOP, in partnership with Unicef, had convened a number of seminars in order to discuss issues relating to children. This contributed to positioning the NCOP as a caring institution with its programmes that were targeting vulnerable groups in society. A new aspect might be to consider whether the approach should not include engaging with institutions out there in environments where children lived.
Questions to the President
Another important development was the commencement of questions to the President. Although the Constitution places no obligation on the president to account to the NCOP, President Jacob has initiated a very noble undertaking, by committing to appear before the council, in order to demonstrate his commitment to our democratic principles of accountability.
Mr. President,
As a result of your acceptance of the request to take questions in the NCOP, this institution has been empowered to enhance an additional oversight tool.
Through all these strategic programmes, the NCOP has visited the length and breadth of South Africa and has been able to gather much needed intelligence about the socio-economic and systemic challenges that still plague our people.
Amending the formula for division of Revenue
Mr President,
I believe that the NCOP has played an integral role in ensuring that the interests of provinces are reflecting on this platform. To this end I believe that it would stand us in good stead, to consider the possibility of amending the formula used in the division of revenue.
From our oversight activities and observations such as local government week, provincial week and oversight week, we have observed that the current formula is not effectively supporting provinces, particularly around issues of infrastructure development.
I believe that your consideration of this matter will bring much relief and provide the necessary resources to accelerate infrastructure development in the provinces. E.g. With regards to road infrastructure, municipalities are expected to raise their own revenue for the construction of roads. In addition, the national roads infrastructure Grant is made available only for the maintenance of roads.
This means that municipalities are unable to tap into funds that are readily available because these funds have been earmarked for maintenance and not construction.
In going forward, there is still a need to have a deeper understanding of the circumstances, challenges and threats that face our people. Indeed more capacity is needed in order to know and understand what was happening on the ground, to ensure more accurate and tailored responses to challenges faced by our people.
National Parliament and fundamentally so, the National Council of Provinces as the mouth piece of provincial interests, must therefore be recognised as an institution of paramount importance.
Madam Chairperson,
We are reminded today, that the character and nature of our democracy as we know it, was shaped and moulded by the legislative deliverables of this institution. Today it is indeed good to be South African.
Honourable members,
Those who began this historic journey of transformation in 1994 initiated the very cumbersome journey of repealing all apartheid statutes of infringement and oppression. As the NCOP we will continue to contribute towards reversing the footprint of indignity which has blemished the psyche of our people. We will continue to take bold steps to inspire this nation to participate the legislative process of the NCOP.
A Developmental-Activist Parliament
Mr President,
In the year 2009, you directed us towards the emergence of an activist parliament and state. You also stated that this shift, demands a realignment of priorities, particularly in shifting our understanding concerning our core mandate and how we execute our tasks as State and Parliament.
In going forward, the success of a developmental-Activist Parliament is largely dependent on our ability to transform the institution of parliament, particularly in ways that will effect a paradigm shift, to make this parliament people and service oriented.
This will require an in-depth assessment of all our programmatic outputs, so that we can begin to realign all the necessary resources around the success of these values.
Indeed the democratic forces need to assert hegemony, propagate and popularize fresh ideas in the process to meaningfully transform South Africa into a truly non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.
