The week ahead

Parliament sees a full programme of parliamentary sittings and portfolio committee meetings this week.

Parliamentary Programme

Tuesday, 7 March 2023

• 14:00 – PLENARY (HYBRID)

1. Member’s statements
2. Consideration of Report of PC on Human Settlements on Housing Consumer Protection Bill [B 10 – 2021]
3. Second Reading debate: Housing Consumer Protection Bill [B 10B – 2021]
4. Committee reports
5. Motions without notice
6. Notices of motion

Wednesday, 15 March 2023

• 15:00 – ±19:30 MINI-PLENARY SESSION (HYBRID)

• Questions for Oral Reply: Cluster 3 (Governance)

Some of the more noteworthy questions that will be posed to Ministers include:

1. Question by Dr L A Schreiber (DA) to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration:

Whether her department has calculated the total annual cost to the taxpayer of the benefits provided to (a) Ministers and (b) Deputy Ministers as contained in the Ministerial Handbook; if not, in each case, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?

2. Question by Ms H O Mkhaliphi (EFF) to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

(1) What are the short to medium term interventions that she will introduce after the proclamation of the National State of Disaster in Electricity Crisis;

(2) as the Minister responsible for managing declared national disasters, what role will she be playing to ensure that the Republic puts an end to load shedding?

Thursday, 16 March 2023

• 14:00 – ±17:00 MINI-PLENARY SESSIONS (VIRTUAL)

Mini-plenary 1:

1. Draft Resolution (The Leader of the Opposition): Establishment of an ad hoc committee in terms of Rule 253 to inquire into the full extent of the alleged widespread corruption and unabated operations of criminal networks and cartels at Eskom
2. Subject for discussion (EFF)

Mini-plenary 2:

1. Subject for discussion (Mr X N Msimango): Examining the Fiscal Framework of the local government sphere against its constitutional mandate, with proposals on debt owed by municipalities and vice versa, and other revenue-enhancing mechanisms for a financially sustainable local government
2. First Reading debates:

• Registration of Muslim Marriages Bill [B30 – 2022] (s76(1)) (Mr M G E Hendricks)
• Divorce Amendment Bill [B32-2022] (s75) (Mr M G E Hendricks)

Two Committee Meetings of interest this week: 

On Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, (National Assembly) will be briefed by National Treasury on all the State Owned Entities that have received bailouts as well as on all government-backed guarantees. This report from the department should be interesting within the current context of the reported corruption at Eskom by former CEO Andre De Ruyter, the protracted business rescue process at South African Airways and deteriorating infrastructure managed by Transnet, and PRASA, to name a few.

On Wednesday, the Portfolio Committee on Police, (National Assembly) will be briefed by the Civilian Secretary for Police Service on the integrated crime prevention strategy. Minister Bheki Cele reported last month that the total number of contact crimes in South Africa has increased by 11.6% from quarter 3 in 2021 to quarter 3 in 2022, proving that new innovative ways for fighting crime needs to be implemented for security and safety to improve.

Committee Programme

Tuesday, 14 March 2023

• Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly), [Consideration and adoption of the Committee BRRR], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00
• Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) on the Audit Action Plan; Briefing by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) on the 2023/24 Annual Performance Plans], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00
• Standing Committee on Appropriations, (National Assembly), [Public Hearings on the 2023 Division of Revenue Bill], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00
• Joint Meeting: Standing Committee on Appropriations and Select Committee on Appropriations, (National Assembly and National Council of Provinces), [Public Hearings on the 2023 Second Adjustments Appropriation (2022/23 financial year) Bill], Virtual Meeting Platform, 14:00-17:00
• Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, (National Assembly), [Update by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy on, the merger of the PetroSA, iGas and SFF, on shale gas developments; Update by Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the Central Energy Fund (CEF) on the solar water heater programme storage; Update by the Central Energy Fund (CEF) and the Strategic Fuel Fund (SFF) on the Milnerton & Saldanha Bay fuel storage facilities; Consideration and adoption of outstanding minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00
• Portfolio Committee on Transport, (National Assembly), [Meeting with the Maritime Directorate of the Department of Transport on progress to date, key achievements and challenges on reaching the goals set for Operation Phakisa; Briefing by the Department of Transport on its 2022/23 3rd Term expenditure; Consideration and adoption of minutes of proceedings], Committee Room M514, Fifth Floor, Marks Building, Parliament, 09:00-13:00
• Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, (National Assembly), [Responses to submissions and Deliberations on the Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill [B1-2003]], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30
• Standing Committee on Public Accounts, (National Assembly), [Briefing by National Treasury on all the State Owned Entities that have received bailouts as well as on all government-backed guarantees], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-12:00
• Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, (National Assembly), [Engagement on an Agroecology Strategy and Plan for South Africa (SA): Presentation by Biowatch SA, Tshintsha Amakhaya Network, Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty Campaign, etc.], Committee Room M201, Second Floor, Marks Building, Parliament, 10:00-13:00
• Portfolio Committee on Tourism, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Department of Tourism on Tourism Policy Review process; Consideration of minutes], Committee Room 2, Upper Ground Floor, 90 Plein Street Building, Parliament, 10:00-13:00
• Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour, (National Council of Provinces), [Public hearings on Performers Protection Amendment Bill [B 24D – 2016] and Copyright Amendment Bill [B 24D – 2016]], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-17:00

Wednesday, 15 March 2023

• Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly), [Briefing by National Treasury on the Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Amendment Bill [B21 – 2022]], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00
• Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Independent Development Trust (IDT) and Agrement SA on the 2023/24 Annual Performance Plans], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00
• Portfolio Committee on Police, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Civilian Secretary for Police Service on the integrated crime prevention strategy], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00
• Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the NLC on its second and third quarter financial and non-financial performance for the 2022/23 financial year; Consideration of Committee’s 2nd Quarter Programme for 2023; Consideration of Minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:30
• Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, (National Assembly), [Consideration of minutes, Consideration of report on the Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill; Consideration of report on Legal Practice Regulations; Responses to submissions on the Maintenance Amendment Bill], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30
• Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development, (National Assembly), [Presentation by the Department of Small Business Development – Consolidated submission to the Red Tape Unit (Presidency) Consideration and adoption of minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30-13:00
• Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Safcol on an update on the overall business, including the socio-economic contributions in terms of job creation, skills development, promotion and support of small and medium enterprises; Consideration and adoption of minutes], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00
• Select Committee on Security and Justice, (National Council of Provinces), [Briefing by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on the written submissions to the Land Court Bill [B11B – 2021] (Sec 75); Committee consideration and adoption of the Report of the Joint Proactive Oversight Visits by the Select Committee on Security and Justice, and the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Water and Sanitation and Human Settlements to Free State Province], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-13:00
• Portfolio Committee on Health, (National Assembly), [Briefing by Parliamentary Legal Services and the State Law Advisors on their inputs on the National Health Insurance (NHI)) Bill], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-13:00
• Select Committee on Transport, Public Service and Administration, Public Works and Infrastructure, (National Council of Provinces), [Briefing by the Department of Transport on the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill [B7B – 2020] (s76); Briefing by the Department of Transport on the National Land Transport Amendment Bill [B 7F – 2016] (sec 76)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 16:00-19:00

Friday, 17 MARCH 2023

• Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) (National Advisory Council on Innovation and Academy of Science of South Africa studies/analysis) around Women in Science; Briefing by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) on progress report on Gender Transformation Investigation in TVET colleges 2022; Briefing by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on progress with the first South African National Survey on Health, Life Experiences and Family Relations (National GVB&F Study)], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-15:00
• Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on the RICA Certificate of Exemption], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:30