Parliament, Sunday 14 November 2021 – The matters that are going to appear in the intense parliamentary programme this week, include the Second Special Appropriation Bill, questions for oral reply by Deputy President, Mr David Mabuza, a Ministerial briefing on the school drop outs by the Minister of Basic Education, a joint webinar with UNICEF on Parliament’s role in children’s development and 46 committee meetings.
The Parliament of South Africa and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF’s) will tomorrow cohost a webinar to discuss the role of Parliament in strengthening the national child rights governance system. The Parliament and UNICEF South Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise and guide collaboration on matters related to the rights and protection of children.
One of the key objectives of the MoU was to enhance the capacity of Members of Parliament and parliamentary officials through knowledge cocreation and knowledge-sharing initiatives. The purpose of the webinar is to locate Parliament’s current role, and how it may be strengthened to contribute to increasing the proportion of children who - not only survive - but develop to their full potential to build South Africa’s human capital foundations.
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has two hybrid Ministerial briefings planned for this week. The first briefing will take place on Tuesday and will be on school drop-out. The briefing is themed: “Towards a Comprehensive National Dropout Management and Prevention Plan”. The Deputy Minister of the Department of Basic Education, Ms Makgabo Mhaule, will provide a national overview on the management and prevention plan whilst the MEC’s for education will give provincial perspectives. The session will start at 10:00.
On Wednesday the House will feature a debate on Teenage Pregnancy themed: “Taking decisive measures to deal with teenage pregnancy and the rape of young girls in our communities”, and will start at 14:00. On Thursday, the Deputy President, Mr David Mabuza, will appear before the permanent delegates of the NCOP for oral replies to questions at 14:00.
The appearance of the Deputy President for replies to questions and Ministerial briefings takes place in Parliament in line with Section 92(2) of the Constitution which stipulates that Cabinet Members are collectively and individually accountable to Parliament for the exercise of powers and performance of their functions.
The National Assembly (NA) has scheduled three hybrid plenary sittings this week. On Tuesday, the plenary sitting, which will start at 14.00, will consider the report of the Standing Committee on Appropriations on the Second Special Appropriation Bill [B 17 – 2021]. The Bill aims to address the impact of the civil unrest that occurred in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in July and the Covid-19 pandemic by providing for additional and urgent funding allocations authorised in terms of section 16 of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999.
The sitting is also scheduled to consider, among other things, the Sectional Title Amendment Bill, and committee reports. On Wednesday, the Economics Cluster Ministers will answer questions for oral replies at 14:00. This cluster comprises of the Ministers of the Departments of Public Enterprises; Public Works and Infrastructure; Small Business Development; Tourism; Trade, Industry and Competition, and the Department of Transport.
On Thursday the hybrid sitting will consider motions of condolences for the late Members of Parliament, Mr Kebby Maphatsoe and the Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize. The sitting will also consider committee reports of the Portfolio Committees on Social Development and Transport.
The sub-committee on the rules of the NCOP is scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Thursday. There are 46 committee meetings that are scheduled to take place virtually this week.
TUESDAY, 16 NOVEMBER
Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs will consider and adopt the Budgetary Review and Recommendation Report (BRRR) on the performance of the Department of Home Affairs.
Portfolio Committee on Tourism will receive a briefing from the South African Tourism (SAT) on the entity’s 2020/21 annual report (BRRR process).
Portfolio Committee on Transport will deliberate on the Economic Regulation of the Transport Bill [B 1 – 2020], consider an updated list of the proposed amendments and consider its BRRR.
Joint Meeting: Standing Committee on Finance, Standing Committee on Appropriations, Select Committee on Finance and Select Committee on Appropriations, the committees are going to be briefed by the Financial and Fiscal Commission and Parliamentary Budget Office on the 2021 MTBPS.
Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition will deliberate on the submissions received regarding the Copyright and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bills.
Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries will receive briefings from the Office of the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) on the annual reports and financial statements for the 2020/21 financial year, and from the Department of Monitoring and Evaluation on the Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT).
Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries will be briefed on the annual reports and financial statements for the 2020/21 financial year (BRRR) by the Office of the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA); and the Department of Monitoring and Evaluation on the MPAT.
Portfolio Committee on Communications: Subcommittee on ICASA Council will interview shortlisted candidates to fill four vacancies in the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) Council.
Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour will receive a briefing from the Department of Employment and Labour on Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment Bill [B 21B – 2020] (s75) (COIDA) and Employment Equity Amendment Bill [B 14B—2020].
WEDNESDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2021
Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure will consider the Expropriation Bill public participation reports.
Joint Meeting: Standing Committee on Finance and Select Committee on Finance will conduct public hearings on the Revised Fiscal Framework.
Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements will be briefed by the entities supporting the Department of Human Settlements. The entities are: the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC); the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC); and the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA).
Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, will receive a briefing from the Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) on audit outcomes of the Department of Employment and Labour and entities; and a briefing on the annual report of the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL).
Portfolio Committee on Police, will consider the annual reports and financial statements and performance for the 2020/21 financial year of the Civilian Secretariat for Police, and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID.
Standing Committee on Public Accounts, will receive an update from the Special Investigating Unit regarding investigations related to Unemployment Insurance Fund TERS paid during COVID-19.
Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, will receive briefings from the Department of Defence, and Armscor on their annual reports for the 2020/21 financial year.
Select Committee on Appropriations, will consider its draft report on the Second Special Appropriation Bill [B17 – 2021]; a draft report on the Financial and Fiscal Commission’s Submission for the 2022/23 Division of Revenue; a draft report on virtual oversight on in-year monitoring expenditure of HIV & AIDS (Life Skills Education) Grant and Learners with Profound Intellectual Disabilities Grant for the 2020/21 financial year.
Select Committee on Transport, Public Service and Administration, Public Works and Infrastructure, will consider written submissions and departmental responses on the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill [B 44B – 2018].
Select Committee on Public Enterprises and Communications, will be briefed by the SABC on stabilising and/or resolving the national broadcasters’ financial (money owed to creditors, unpaid licence fees by the public) and operational (reducing the cost structure or staff retrenchments) challenges in order to turn the company into a sustainable business entity.
Portfolio Committee on Communications, will consider and adopt the BRRRs of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, and Government Communication and Information System (DCDT).
THURSDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2021
Portfolio Committee on Communications: Subcommittees on ICASA Council, MDDA Board and SABC Board, will deliberate on the interviews of candidates.
Joint Standing Committee on Defence, will be briefed by the Office of the Military Ombud on their 2020 annual report; will receive an update on all investigations conducted by the Military Ombud for the 2020 and 2021 calendar years.
FRIDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2021
Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, will consider and adopt its BRRR for 2021.
Joint Meeting: Standing Committee on Finance and Select Committee on Finance, will receive a response by National Treasury on submissions made in the public hearing on 2021 Revised Fiscal Framework.
Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation, will receive a briefing from the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) on its investments and initiatives within the Health Innovation portfolio; it will also consider BRRR on the Departments of Higher Education and Training, and Science and Innovation.
Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, will consider C and D Bills regarding the Copyright and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bills; and formally consider its first draft BRRR.
Portfolio Committee on Health, will be briefed by the Department of Health on its annual report for the 2020/21 financial year.
Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, will receive briefings from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the South African National Parks (SANParks) and the Isimangaliso Wetland Park Authority (ISPA) on their annual reports and financial statements for the 2020/21fiancial year.
Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament, will be briefed on the draft regulations to the Financial Management of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act.
For the latest full schedule of committee meetings (updated regularly) please click:
https://www.parliament.gov.za/committee-meetings
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