This week is the final week of Parliamentary programming for 2021. Parliament will rise on this Friday 10 December for the year.

The biggest news from the Parliamentary week is undoubtably the vote on the ANC’s controversial proposal to amend the constitution to clearly allow the seizure of land without compensation.

As reported by the Business Day, “(t)he proposal, framed as part of wider efforts to tackle yawning land disparities in the country, needed a two-thirds majority necessary to pass an amendment to the constitution. The ANC has 230 seats in parliament and required at least 267 votes to pass the bill. Of the MPs present in the house and on the virtual platform, 145 members voted against the bill, with 204 members supporting the proposed amendment.” The bill was therefore not passed.

Today will see the Deputy President facing a questions session, and on Friday, the Constitutional Review Committee will be briefed on 2021 submissions.

Committee meetings continue to take place primarily on virtual platforms, with most available to view live on Parliament’s YouTube channel.

The State of the Nation Address for 2022 has been set for 10 February 2022, which will signal the formal start of the new Parliamentary year.