Pretoria – The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will this week embark on preliminary oversight visits to the City of Tshwane, starting on Tuesday.
The visits are part of the Taking Parliament to the People programme aimed at getting first-hand information on what the executive has accomplished in the area.
The Executive will be informed of the findings and asked to rectify issues of concern.
This week’s visits will be followed by a formal sitting of the NCOP in Tshwane during October, where national, provincial and local government will be invited to engage directly with the people.
The Taking Parliament to the People programme started in 2002 and gives effect to the constitutional obligation that the NCOP serves as a forum for the consideration of matters affecting the provinces. The programme is based on the premise that the NCOP is crucial to overseeing cooperative government.
This week’s visits to a range of programmes and projects in Garankuwa, Winterveld, Hammanskraal, Kameeldrift, Cullinan, Silverton and Soshanguve, will culminate in a public meeting on 20 September in Hammanskraal.
NCOP chairperson Mninwa Mahlangu will address the meeting.
In addition to the visits by members of the NCOP, committees of the NCOP as well as those in the National Assembly (NA) will be working around the clock to finalise legislation.
As at 3 September, 35 bills had been introduced to Parliament and 17 had been sent to the President for assent, compared to the whole of last year’s session when 45 bills were introduced and 25 sent to the President for assent.
An ad-hoc committee will consider the report of the Public Protector on the Electoral Commission’s procurement of head office premises, while another ad-hoc committee will consider President Jacob Zuma’s reservations with the Protection of State Information Bill.
The deadline for both ad-hoc committees to report to the NA is 31 October. – SAnews.gov.za
