Big shake-up in parliament sparks hope for South Africa

While the ANC still has the lion’s share of portfolio committee chairperson positions, its tenure chairing all of them has come to an end.

Additionally, in a significant change of pace, non-ANC parties now hold at least half of the key standing committee chairperson positions, which could spark a new drive for government accountability.

During this week (8 – 12 July), Members of Parliament (MPs) elected the chairpersons of various portfolio and standing committees.

There are 30 portfolio and 6 standing/internal committees in the seventh Parliament. Their role is crucial for accountability, as it includes oversight over the executive and promoting public involvement in law-making.

“These committees are the engine rooms of Parliament where, among others, the work of the executive is scrutinised,” said the National Assembly (NA) in a statement.

The elected chairpersons will play a key role in chairing and determining the agenda of meetings and organising the administrative affairs of the committees.

They are also responsible for ensuring that committee decisions are compiled into a report and tabled in the respective House.

It is important to note that the positions of chairpersons of parliamentary committees were integral to discussions in the formation of the co-governing/coalition agreement labelled the ‘Government of National Unity (GNU).’

During discussions, parties revealed their desire for appointments to these key oversight roles to form part of the GNU and hold the government accountable.

The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament have already been elected: Thoko Didiza of the ANC and Annelie Lotriet of the DA.

Standing and Internal Committees

Very broadly, Standing Committees are critical watchdogs over the executive and other key institutions, while internal committees deal with matters affecting the running of Parliament. 

There was much debate about who was going to get the powerful SCOPA chairperson position.

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts acts as Parliament’s watchdog over the way taxpayers’ money is spent by the Executive.

Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi was elected unopposed as chair after he was nominated by the ANC’s Lusizo Makhubela and seconded by the DA’s Patrick Atkinson.

Rise Mzansi is a signatory of the statement of intent to form part of the GNU.

The EFF objected to Zibi’s election but did not field its own candidate, saying that the party did not object to the individual but rather over the departure from the long-held tradition that an opposition MP chairs SCOPA.

Another debated position was the chair of the Standing Committee on Appropriations (SCOA).

Its mandate includes all areas of government spending, amendments to key pieces of legislation, recommendations of the Financial and Fiscal Commission, and consideration of reports on actual expenditure published by the National Treasury.

BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane was nominated by the ANC for the position of SCOA chair, which came as a relative surprise given that BOSA is not a signatory of the GNU.

Portfolio Committees

Portfolio Committees play a crucial role by considering Bills, managing government departmental budget votes, overseeing departmental activities, and inquiring into various aspects of the department to make recommendations about its structure, functioning, and policies.

Looking at the portfolio committees, while the ANC still sports the lion’s share of chairperson appointments, the DA is seen in various key portfolios. In the previous administration, the ANC held all chairperson positions.

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