Parliament, Sunday 19 November 2017 – A report assessing the laws of our democracy and making recommendations, Bills related to the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement and several other subjects, debates, questions to the Executive, public hearings and briefings on matters of public importance. These are among issues coming up this week.
On Tuesday, in Johannesburg, former President Kgalema Motlanthe and Chairperson of the High Level Panel on Assessment of Key Legislation and Acceleration of Fundamental Change will hand the panel’s report to the Speakers’ Forum. The Speakers’ Forum, which is chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ms Baleka Mbete, is a structure of Parliament and the Provincial Legislatures. It appointed the panel in January 2016 to assess the impact of the laws of our democracy. Of the more than 1 000 laws passed since our first democratic election in 1994, the panel identified particular ones for special consideration in three main focus areas:
- Poverty, unemployment and the equitable distribution of wealth
- Land reform, sustainable livelihoods and rural development and security of tenure
- Social cohesion and nation building
The panel embarked on a series of public hearings, roundtables and calls for written public submissions throughout the country to hear from people: Have the laws of our democracy and their application helped or hindered us in realising the kind of society envisaged in our Constitution? What are the gaps? Are there too many laws? Are many of them too complicated?
Also on Tuesday, at Parliament in Cape Town, the National Assembly is scheduled to hold an all-day sitting. It starts in the morning with a debate on 16 Days of Activism for no violence against women and children: “Count me in - together moving a non-violent South Africa forward”. During Tuesday afternoon’s plenary session, the Assembly is scheduled to consider the report of the Standing Committee on Finance on the proposed fiscal framework. The Assembly is also scheduled to consider three Bills which the Minister of Finance introduced in October when he delivered the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement.These are the Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Bill, the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill and the Tax Administration Amendment Bill.
A debate on: “A growth and economic transformation model anchored on a common vision for the economy, in order to address unemployment, poverty and inequality” follows consideration of these Bills.
On Wednesday, Economics Cluster Ministers are scheduled to answer questions for oral reply from Members of the National Assembly. The National Council of Provinces plenary sitting on Wednesday is scheduled to consider the Division of Revenue Amendment Bill. Among others, the Bill adjusts the equitable share among the three spheres of government, changes the specific purpose allocations to provinces and changes allocations-in-kind to provinces and municipalities for designated special programmes. The Bill is required because of the proposed national adjustment budget for the 2017/2018 financial year which affects the division of revenue between the three spheres of government. The NatIonal Assembly passed the Bill at its plenary sitting on 14 November.
Besides plenary sittings of the two Houses, 37 committee meetings have been scheduled so far. One of these scheduled meetings involves public hearings in Mpumalanga on the National Forests Amendment Bill. For more details please contact Sureshinee Govender on 081 704 1109.
Other issues for scheduled committee meetings this week include:
- Joint meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Portfolio Committee on Social Development: Briefing from the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the South African Social Security Agency regarding compliance with the Constitutional Court ruling on phasing out Cash Paymaster Services and procuring alternate payment services (Tuesday)
- Ad Hoc Committee on Funding of Political Parties: Deliberations on outcome of public hearing process, amendments to regulations and draft Political Party Funding Bill (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
- Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs: Formal consideration of the Marine Spatial Planning Bill and formal adoption of the committee’s report on the Bill (Tuesday and Wednesday)
- Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises: Corporate governance in Eskom (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
- Portfolio Committee on Energy: Update by the Minister of Energy on government’s plans relating to key and strategic matters in the energy sector (Tuesday and Wednesday)
- Select Committee on Appropriations: Consideration of final mandates on the Division of Revenue Amendment Bill and consideration of draft report on the Bill (Tuesday)
- Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources: Briefing from lawyers, representing ex-mineworkers, on lung diseases on the mines and the silicosis class action case (Wednesday)
- Joint meeting of the Select and Standing Committees on Appropriations: Briefing from National Treasury on the 2017 Adjustments Appropriation Bill (Wednesday morning)
- Standing Committee on Appropriations: Hearing with the Department of Home Affairs and National Treasury on the 2017 Adjustments Appropriation Bill (Wednesday afternoon)
- Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration/Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation: Briefing from National Treasury on rationality of budget cuts in government and impact on service delivery; briefing from the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation on whether government policy and mandates are adequately catered for and whether a new approach is feasible; briefing from the Department of Public Service and Administration on progress regarding public sector salary negotiations (Wednesday)
- Joint meeting of the Select and Standing Committees on Appropriations: Joint public hearings on the 2017 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement and Adjustments Appropriation Bill (Friday)
These are amongst a wide range of key matters before Parliament this week. For the full schedule of committee meetings (updated daily), please click:https://www.parliament.gov.za/whatson
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