Infrastructure development and good financial management are very important enablers for local government to deliver services to the people, said National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Chairperson, Ms Thandi Modise. She was speaking during the opening session of the Taking Parliament to the People programme (TPTTP), in Botshabelo, Free State province.

She said during the pre-visit to the province in July this year, NCOP delegates and researchers discovered challenges of infrastructure maintenance and provision of water and sanitation.

“Infrastructure-related matters exacerbated the delivery of water and sanitation, and that hampered the delivery of other services such as health and education. A clinic or a hospital cannot operate without water, and health is a constitutional human right that cannot be denied to our people,” she said.

The Chairperson said these discoveries meant that Parliament and government (local, provincial and national) need to change their ways of doing things.

“We recognise as the fifth democratic Parliament that there is need for urgency, we need to change our way of doing things. If we do that we will begin to see improved inter-governmental relations and cooperative governance,” she said.

“We are spending this week here under the banner: “Celebrating 20 years of the Constitution and the establishment of NCOP”. Our journey will end in 2018 when we return to the province for a report back session, where we will update the community on the issues raised.”

Ms Modise said the NCOP was committed to a “people-centred Parliament which is responsive to the needs of the citizens”.

“Parliament must be on the move in making democracy work, we must position ourselves as an activist Parliament rooted in the everyday struggles of our common citizens,” said the Chairperson.

She added that democracy was not just about the will of the majority but “also about enabling communities to exercise their rights – not only in politics but socially and economically”.

Some of the progress that has been reported since the visit by the NCOP to the Free State in July, is the opening of the Albert Nzula District Hospital, which remained unused for five years after its completion.

“We engaged government and we are happy that Albert Nzula District Hospital has finally been opened and process is underway to staff it. We will continue to follow up,” she said.

“We are guided by the NDP (National Development Programme) and we decided that our main focus will be health this time because access to health is a constitutional right.

She also commended the Department of Health for rolling out the National Health Insurance (NHI). “It is better to start even with a small step than not to start at all, Free State was one of the pilot areas for the programme.

The Speaker of the Free State Provincial Legislature, Ms Mamiki Qabathe, welcomed the oversight work conducted by the NCOP during the Taking Parliament to the People programme.

Speaking during the opening of the TPTTP programme, Ms Qabathe said the oversight work at various health facilities and schools should not be viewed in a negative light.

“We believe that your presence here will enable us to open up and share with you the challenges we are faced with. You will help us, we strongly believe so, rather than to criticise us,” she said.

She also highlighted the shortage of water in the Xhariep District as having a serious bearing on the Albert Nzula District Hospital in Trompsburg and other health facilities. The hospital was officially opened in June this year after it was built about five years ago.

It is situated along the N1 to Colesberg and was built to provide assistance to people coming from nearby towns such as Edenburg, Springfontein and Gariep Dam.

The challenge of the scarcity of water and infrastructure-related challenges in various clinics in the Xhariep District was also raised during the pre-visit of the NCOP.

“We want the NCOP to also look at the Sterfontein Dam, situated outside Harrismith. This dam is near Qwaqwa but the community of Qwaqwa does not have water,” she added.

Ms Qabathe commended the NCOP for the Taking Parliament to the People visit to the Free State province during Women’s Month. She hailed the women who protested against the use of pass laws and indicated that women today are subjected to long queues at health centres.

Free State Premier, Mr Ace Magashule, called for better coordination between the three spheres of government, the legislative sector and the public.

“The questions we should be asking are, is our work coordinated, is the community playing its role? If we work together (community and leadership) we can resolve most of the issues raised here,” said Mr Magashule.

The Taking Parliament to the People programme was initiated in 2002 to promote education about Parliament and to enhance public participation, to provide the public with an opportunity to have a say on matters affecting them.

It entails visits to provinces by the NCOP in partnership municipalities, provincial legislatures and government departments to conduct public hearings and other oversight exercises.

Through this programme thousands of ordinary South Africans, mostly from marginalised communities, have had the opportunity to interact with Members of Parliament on issues of service delivery and governance.

This initiative forms part of the NCOP’s oversight and public participation role, and targets areas where public education about democracy in the country is needed most – and areas where people feel that government is neglecting them.

Taking Parliament to the People brings the NCOP closer to rural communities, so that people can influence its work and for Members of Parliament to better understand the challenges facing provinces.

Since its inception in 2002, the programme has managed to create a platform for public consideration of issues and facilitate government intervention with regard to issues raised by the people about service delivery. It allows Parliament to assess the impact of the legislation it has passed on the development and empowerment of the people and communities. The programme also helps promote transparency and accountability.

By Sakhile Mokoena 
21 August 2017