THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
The NCOP Chamber which was extensively renovated in 2001 into a semi-circular layout
at first hand, what progress has been made in terms of service delivery at identified areas. In this way the NCOP forms a central link between Parliament and the provincial and local spheres. As the parliamentary House
that represents the country’s nine provinces (from north to south: Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State, KwaZulu- Natal, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and the Western Cape), the NCOP brings government closer to the people. Working with provinces, it focuses on functional areas of concurrent national and provincial legislative competence (such as agriculture, education and health), where the bulk of the nationally raised budget is spent. As part of its efforts to promote a
working intergovernmental system, last year, the NCOP initiated “Local Government Week”. The aim is to strengthen municipalities so that they are able to improve their service delivery to the people. A Children’s Rights seminar
is another recent NCOP initiative. Headed by the NCOP Deputy Chairperson, Ms Thandi Memela, MP, this project examined existing laws and policies aimed at protecting children and identified where improvements were needed. This seminar afforded the
Linking locally with local leaders Another vehicle through which the NCOP ensures that there is service delivery for the people is “Provincial Week”. For a full week and twice a year, provincial delegations spend time in each province, meeting the provincial leadership (such as Premiers and Ministers), their counterparts in provincial Legislatures and local councillors. They share notes on matters related to government, in particular local government, the sphere of government closest to the people. Delegations conduct site visits to view,
NCOP an opportunity to hear from the children themselves what they thought about their rights. It is our duty to continue promoting and protecting these rights by tightening laws and policies, as well as strengthening oversight.
The oversight role South Africa’s two Chambers of Parliament each have their own committees. The portfolio committees serve the National Assembly while the select committees conduct oversight for the NCOP. There are also joint committees,
established by the constitution or an act of Parliament, for example the Joint Standing Committee on Defence and the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence.
“The NCOP has taken advantage of its constitutional mandate to bring a unique perspective to South Africa’s parliamentary democracy.”
For the purpose of performing
their legislative and oversight functions, parliamentary committees may summon any person or any institution to appear before it to give evidence, produce a document or give a report. In the performance of their mandate, committees have considerable powers which are subject only to the constitution, legislation, the rules and House resolutions.
Committees may receive petitions, representations or submissions from interested persons or institutions, and permit oral evidence on such petitions, representations, and submissions. They have a number of mechanisms at their disposal to conduct their oversight functions, including holding public hearings, receiving departmental briefings, considering annual reports, strategic plans and budgets and conducting oversight visits.
Either Chamber of Parliament
may appoint a temporary or ad hoc committee for specific investigations. One such example was the National Council of Provinces Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection of State Information Bill. The committee served as the most recent excellent example of how public participation in the legislative processes should be ensured. This was particularly significant
as this Bill was contentious and generated vigorous citizen opposition with the result that it went through 120 amendments in the National Assembly before it was passed. The next step was to refer it to the National Council of Provinces, which
established the ad hoc committee comprising 15 MPs. This committee immediately drew up a plan to take the Bill on the road to the nine provinces to test public opinion. The exercise resulted in hundreds of proposals for amendments of the Bill by the Assembly. The ad hoc committee was
divided into teams in order to cover more ground, and public hearings were held simultaneously in different venues. The primary purpose of this
extensive exercise was to enable the public to tell us as legislators exactly how they viewed the Bill so that when deliberations took place we would amplify the people’s views and concerns. The NCOP has taken advantage
of its constitutional mandate to bring a unique perspective to South Africa’s parliamentary democracy. It has sought to promote co-operation among the different spheres of government and to bring democracy to the most deprived communities.
Black Rod stands in a drum when the National Council of Provinces is in session.
The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One - South Africa | 5
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