Parliament, Monday, 24 March 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on International Relations will from tomorrow launch a people-centred oversight mechanism for international relations in Mpumalanga, North West and Gauteng provinces. The committee will also conduct an oversight visit to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in Pretoria.
The aim of the people-centred mechanism of oversight is to create a platform of participation in international relations policies for ordinary South Africans. Historically, international relations has been regarded as a terrain exclusively ring-fenced for elites and policy analysts. The committee seeks to ensure that this new mechanism will become a practical means for ordinary South Africans to join their Parliament for meaningful and valuable engagement on international issues.
The committee Chairperson, Mr Supra Mahumapelo, said international engagement is part of Parliament’s constitutional mandate and yet international relations is generally viewed as an avenue for intellectuals, analysts and independent institutions. This people-centred oversight mechanism aims to break down any shackles that exclude ordinary South Africans from participating in South Africa’s international relations agenda. Mr Mahumapelo said the committee is certain that this mechanism will end the elite’s historical monopoly on the issue and create open access to all South Africans.
As South Africa celebrates the 31st anniversary of freedom and constitutional democracy, Mr Mahumapelo said, the committee took a decision to enhance its oversight mechanisms on international relations policy and related activities to ensure that they involve the people, “… because democracy, without continuous, sustained, deepened involvement of the people, is not only elusive, but meaningless,” the Chairperson said.
The committee will establish this new oversight mechanism throughout the nine provinces. The mechanism will drive matters relating to the experiences of ordinary people and how they would like the committee’s mandate to respond to their situation.
“It is in the interest of the committee to ensure that every citizen understands and appreciates the activities undertaken by the executive internationally on behalf of South Africa. The foreign policy principles that place South Africa in SADC, the AU, the UN, the Commonwealth, BRICS and others and bilateral visits in search of investments should be explained to the ordinary people,” Mr Mahumapelo said.
The launch in the three initial provinces will be attended by, among others, provincial Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the legislatures, MECs of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, chairpersons of the portfolio committees on COGTA, provincial House of Traditional Leaders, the provincial Chairperson of CONTRALESA, the South African Local Government Association, mayors, BRICS ambassadors and international relations experts.
The details of the launch are as follows:
Mpumalanga:
Date: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Time: 10 am
Venue: Ridge Hotel, Witbank
North West:
Date: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Time: 10 am
Venue: Vila Paradiso Hotel in Madibeng
Department of International Relations and Cooperation in Pretoria:
Date: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Time: 10 am
Venue: Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION, MR SUPRA MAHUMAPELO.
For media inquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the Committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malentsoe Magwagwa (Ms)
Cell: 081 7165824
E-mail: mmagwagwa@parliament.gov.za
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