South Africa: Financial Management of Parliament Committee Welcomes Progress on Quarterly Performance
The Joint Standing Committee on Parliamentary Financial Management welcomed Parliament’s performance in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2024/25 on Tuesday.
The committee has received briefings from the Administration and Administration on the cumulative performance of the parliament over the period. It noted that the quarterly report reflects steady progress in the agency’s core functions, such as legislation and oversight, although some challenges remain.
The committee noted that by December last year, Parliament had reached 70% of its target. Among the unmet goals, it is to restore and re-recommend the goals of the meeting project. Members heard from the Secretary of the Parliament Mr Xolile George that the project experienced delays, especially in the old Parliament building. Following these delays, the restoration of the old convention will now begin in May this year. Despite the concerns among members about the schedule, they have been given the following winter to ensure that the project can still be completed by December 2026.
Co-Chairman Mr Molapi Lekganyane reminded members that the committee will receive a comprehensive update on the restoration project by March 28, and they will also conduct a physical examination to assess progress on their own.
Members also questioned the recommendations made by the Judiciary Committee on state captives, corruption and fraud allegations in the public sector, including the Zondo Commission. Mr George assured members that the Council of Parliament has always reviewed and implemented recommendations to ensure greater responsibility for government departments and entities.
The committee welcomes the efforts of Parliament to expand its digital and public engagement tools through an online petition system that is expected to further simplify the petition process. Members heard that the Council is developing online petition monitoring and tracking systems to increase public participation and response to citizen concerns. The goal is to develop an e-petition solution that will automate the process of processing petitions, thereby reducing the time it takes to process them.
The committee heard that the focus of the reporting period was on the front-end development of the online petition interface, integration with existing websites, workflow design, and system functional testing and preparations for going online. However, members urged the online system to supplement the existing process without replacing it, as many people in remote rural settings still lack internet connectivity.
The committee also noted that Parliament adopted an impact assessment framework, among other things, efforts to strengthen its legislation and oversight. Members heard that the pilot implementation of the framework is intended to be considered and adopted by parliament before and after legislation. The impact assessment framework will serve as the basis for assessing legislative viability and its subsequent impact on citizens. The focus of the quarter was on trialing the framework on four selected bills, but more stakeholder participation is still needed to refine the framework before it is fully implemented.
Mr Lekganyane noted and welcomed the quarterly performance report, saying that the response to the questions raised must be outlined in his report to the Commission.
Distributed by Apo Group on behalf of the Republic of South Africa: Parliament.
