RURAL COMMUNITIES
PARLIAMENTARY INVOLVEMENT IN
programmes is growing and getting better all the time. The actual NCOP: Taking
Parliament to the People Programme event is preceded by public meetings in which the public and stakeholders are addressed by the Chairperson of the NCOP with regard to the purpose of the programme. We have contributed to the education and mobilization of the public for these meetings and in both provinces, venues were 90-per-cent filled by the relevant stakeholders. We also
collaborate and partner with the provincial Legislatures to provide logistical and ground support to the NCOP Provincial Weeks in the three provinces and legislative activities, in particular the section 76 Bills which are dealt with through the provinces. In the past four years of our operations we have provided support to various committees of Parliament ranging from Portfolio Committees to Select Committees to Ad hoc Committees during law-making processes and when performing oversight work in the provinces where we exist. When the Parliamentary Democracy Offices are not providing support to parliamentary programmes, we empower communities to take responsibility for their own participation and involvement in legislative and other parliamentary work by informing, educating and interacting with the people through interactive workshops, community meetings, information sessions and local community radio stations. All content is presented in the
successfully mobilized and educated approximately 20,000 people who attended and participated over five days in the NCOP programme in the Gert Sibande District in Mpumalanga
province, even though there was no Parliamentary Democracy Office in this province. The support PDOs provide in terms of education and mobilization around parliamentary
languages spoken in the areas. Parliamentary Democracy Offices also work with Parliamentary Constituency Offices to provide support to Members of Parliament when conducting parliamentary programmes.
“The ultimate purpose of the Parliamentary Democracy Offices is to promote and entrench democracy in South Africa.”
Improving public understanding Parliamentary Democracy Offices are geographically well placed for Parliament to be directly in touch with the public and are creating an immediate parliamentary presence among the local communities. They also offer sustainable programmes whereby people know where to go to follow up on issues. We understand and respect the different local cultures, structures and protocols and work well within them. We have established stakeholder relationships from which Parliament may benefit at any given time when visiting those areas. There is a growing increase
in understanding of how Parliament works among rural communities where PDOs are situated. It has become apparent during
the short period of our existence that it will still take some time to reach everyone in the provinces because of their large size. The public still does not distinguish between the roles of Parliament, the executive and the Parliamentary Constituency Offices. As a result, Parliamentary Democracy Offices receive all sorts of queries from the public. People are more interested in service delivery programmes. They need electricity, water, road infrastructure and more, rather than programmes providing information, education and empowerment. Thus it is imperative for the Parliamentary Democracy Offices to forge and manage relations with the strategic partners in the provinces. The ultimate purpose of the Parliamentary Democracy Offices is to promote and entrench democracy in South Africa. We will further provide opportunities to promote a better quality of life for all the people of South Africa through an understanding of the role of Parliament and raise such awareness in the public domain.
The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One - South Africa | 83
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