The ANC has staunchly defended itself against reports that its parliamentary caucus will be going soft on ministers in portfolio committee meetings in the coming year.
Following its three-day parliamentary lekgotla [meeting], the party’s chief whip Mathole Motshekga said that a distinction should be made between Parliament that is “probing and that which harasses, wags fingers, ridicules, belittles and generally disrespects those before it”.
“Legislators and those who are held accountable therefore have a patriotic responsibility to uphold the dignity and the decorum of this institution,” Motshekga said at a press briefing on Thursday.
His comments follow a report in the Sunday Times that parliamentary chairpersons had been instructed to treat ministers who appeared before Parliament with a greater degree of respect.
Motshekga denied this meant Parliament would be less vigorous in its oversight of ministers and departments.
He could not however answer whether this emphasis on cordiality stemmed from complaints by ministers over how they were being addressed when they were before committees.
During last year the chairperson of the portfolio committee on defence and military veterans Nyami Booi, disagreed with Minister Lindiwe Sisulu during legislative deliberations.
The refusal by Sisulu to release two reports examining service conditions for soldiers to the committee saw her square up against Booi.
In the wake of the Cabinet reshuffle, Booi was demoted from the role of chairperson.
Any such complaints from ministers he said, would have been referred to Parliament — as an institution — and as such he could not comment.
Better coordination
The ANC said it was working towards better coordination between the programmes of parliamentary study groups, committees and ministers in a bid to ensure that ministers could appear before Parliament when necessary.
As part of its oversight role, Parliament was to be tasked with monitoring government’s job-creation promises.
President Jacob Zuma has requested that each ministry provide projection figures for the number of jobs departments could create, which would be submitted for oversight and monitoring by Parliament.
This was in line with government’s new growth path, which aims to create 500 000 jobs by the end of the year.