The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Thoko Didiza, has urged committee chairpersons in the National Assembly (NA) to uphold the principle of collaboration in the work of their committees, given the links that exist between them and other role-players in the wider scope of their responsibility.
The Speaker was speaking during opening remarks at the beginning of a two-day induction programme for NA committee chairpersons, which is underway in Sandton, Gauteng. She called for an improvement and a new shift in committees’ oversight role to ensure meaningful impact in the lives of the people.
The induction programme is the first of its kind for these chairpersons since they assumed their roles as leaders of their committees in the new seventh term of Parliament. The workshop will cover several important topics that are essential to the effective functioning of parliamentary committees.
“We need a level of collegiality, especially when there are cross-cutting matters that affect a few committees. It is up to us as this leadership to work together to resolve such matters. This requires agility to ensure that we find ways, maybe with legislation or policy consideration and joint meetings to resolve any issue,” suggested Ms Didiza. The Speaker also highlighted that collaboration will also ensure that parliamentary committees avoid duplication and thus save an already stretched budget.
The Speaker also highlighted the importance of public participation in the work of each committee. She urged chairpersons to find ways to ensure that effective and meaningful public participation happens. “Because when people have access to Parliament through a structured process, our people will communicate effectively their lived experience and we will be able to understand their situations and report back on measures you would have taken to improve their lives,” Ms Didiza argued.
She also suggested to chairpersons to create committee study groups to enable committee members to delve deeper into their portfolios and which would equip them to drive oversight, “The reality is that the committee meeting time is not adequate for a detailed dive into the overall work of the different portfolios. I would propose that these chairpersons have study groups of your portfolio committee where the members can set aside time to learn together. If you do this, you will be able to learn together and share views on how to resolve the challenges facing the people on the ground,” she suggested.
The Speaker assured committee chairpersons that Parliament’s administration and the executive authority stand ready to support committees to ensure effective oversight. She said it is up to committee chairpersons to inform the executive authority on what type of resources, both financial and human, they need to enable them to do their work effectively. She cautioned, however, that these resources have to be in line with the financial resources available to Parliament.
The Speaker cautioned committee chairpersons to always avoid the temptation of relegating or outsourcing their responsibility to the committee secretary. She cited some examples in which committee chairpersons in previous parliaments passed their responsibilities to the committee secretaries. This tendency had various consequences, including compromising the work of the committee.
The Speaker also urged committee chairpersons to read a variety of documents, including annual reports and annual performance and strategic plans of the government departments they have oversight over, to empower them with knowledge of the portfolio. She cautioned them against relying on committee content advisors for knowledge about the portfolio and their constituencies. “Use the content advisor or committee researcher to a certain extent. But it is you, the chairperson, who has a feel for the constituency,” she stressed.
“Working as a collective, we have a responsibility to oversee executive action and ensure accountability. I wish to commit that we will do what is possible to support the work that you do,” the Speaker concluded.
Malatswa Molepo
7 August 2024
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