The Speakers’ Forum of South Africa, a voluntary entity that seeks to harmonise the law-making, oversight and public participation mandates of South Africa's legislative sector, will meet tomorrow, 3 May 2024, to mark its last meeting for the sixth parliamentary term.
The Speakers’ Forum comprises the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of all nine Provincial Legislatures. The Speakers’ Forum sets the direction for the sector and is its highest policy-making body that oversees the management and coordination of sector programmes.
The Forum will use this occasion to reflect on the challenges, opportunities and milestones in safeguarding its relevance and the legitimacy of our country’s parliamentary democracy.
To date, among the notable achievements is the introduction of the sector’s oversight model to ensure that there is coherence in modelling, conceptualising, implementing, and monitoring and evaluation of government policies, law-making and oversight in the sector that will advance the socio-economic plight of the indigent and previously disadvantaged.
The inception of the South African Parliamentary Institute also marked a momentous moment in the history of the Speakers’ Forum. “The role of the Institute,” it states on its website, “will include the provision of capacity development programmes, production of quality research and knowledge management for the legislative sector as well as the establishment of an alumni association of former members and officials of the legislative sector.”
On the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting are reflections on the work done by the sector during the sixth parliamentary term. Parliament and all nine provincial legislatures will present their legacy reports during the meeting.
The Forum will also discuss preparations for establishing the 7th Parliament and Provincial Legislatures and plan and align its programmes for the new term. The SA Parliamentary Institute will also present a report and the training schedule for Members of Parliament and officials for the 7th parliamentary term.
Other items scheduled for consideration include declarations from the 2024 South African Legislative Sector Oversight Summit held in January to reflect on the effectiveness of the Legislative Sector's role in implementing constitutional mandates.
Abel Mputing
2 May 2024
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