6th Parliament Review Logo
Ms Jane Seboletswe Mananiso
ANC

Can you share any memorable moments or experiences that stood out to you in the Sixth Parliament?

One of my most memorable experiences involved inviting members of the Executive to appear before the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation to be held accountable. However, I was surprised to discover that some of these highly qualified executives had instances of questionable behaviour or were unable to deliver on critical areas as required by applicable legislation.

My memories also include interactions with entities that appeared before Parliament. I was particularly impressed with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) as I witnessed more black excellence in South Africa, especially in the highly skilled field of science. It was inspiring to see how the DSI consistently achieved success, and we were able to conclude on a positive note with all the topics they presented before Parliament.

What are the greatest frustrations you have faced in the Sixth Parliament?

One major frustration is the disregard of Parliament's recommendations to guide the entity or department towards the right path. These recommendations are often ignored and not taken seriously. Another issue is that the administration has highly qualified individuals who are unable to execute their work properly. They often display signs of not comprehending the administration or its expectations in the governance of the government.

Thirdly, the reports often presented to Parliament by entities and departments contain very little information about their work on incorporating, assisting or developing the vulnerable communities in our societies like people living with disabilities, as well as the non-use of indigenous languages in important government programmes.

I was frustrated by the frequent use of English in official government documents and Parliament. South Africa is a diverse country, and most citizens do not speak English as their first language. Therefore, I advocated for the use of indigenous languages in all our interactions in the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation, particularly when discussing the important work produced by the Department of Science and Innovation over the past five years. Although there have been some improvements, there is still a significant gap in the government's efforts to promote the use of indigenous languages. This needs to be addressed to ensure that all citizens can fully engage with government and parliamentary processes.

Furthermore, I also discovered instances where entities would appear before Parliament to present their annual reports or performance plans with no significant and notable changes as the ones presented the previous year.

How did you engage with your constituents during this term, and what efforts did you make to stay connected with their needs and opinions?

During the term, I made sure to actively get young people in my community to participate in civic education, which we provided. This included educating members of my community about various government issues and how they can contribute to having a voice in resolving those matters, educating them to learn and understand the roles of NGOs and other stakeholders of our economy, and assisting them with developing skills such as writing formal proposals for business, NGO or cooperative funding and how they can identify potential sponsors and donors for their endeavours.

I took our Parliamentary PSET work to the community and engaged with all SETAs and other stakeholders to promote post-education and training. In addition, I championed for TVET colleges (West Col TVET college) to become institutions of choice and reached out to those who had dropped out, making them aware that they still had an opportunity to continue their studies. These initiatives have resulted in many young people returning to school or taking steps to improve their lives.

I also assisted young people to be conscious and liberated of what the government has in store for them. I conducted continuous oversight and accountability of our various government stakeholders and transferred the knowledge to young people in my community. I also exposed them to these stakeholders so that they may know when, how and what to access them. I further adopted Itumeleng School within the community to donate school shoes and other critical study materials.

In addition, I collaborated with the LGBTQI community to raise awareness of their concerns within our community. We engaged in discussions to identify ways to integrate our community and make it inclusive for everyone. This effort also involved addressing the challenges faced by people with disabilities, as well as implementing HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

I also mentored and coached young people in the community for their career development and choices. We also took advantage of the stakeholders such as the SETAs that we invited as mentioned above to assist our youth to be capacitated to get jobs and be aware of which avenues to consult for better career choices or advice.

In what ways did you collaborate with colleagues from different parties or political affiliations to achieve common goals?

Our Portfolio Committee operates in a non-partisan manner, representing the interests of our constituents. Although politics can sometimes come into play, we strive to avoid it in our parliamentary duties. During our oversight visits, we work collaboratively to build public trust and ensure that our political differences do not interfere with our duties as members of parliament.

How has being an MP changed your life?

I was able to apply what I had learned as an activist before becoming a Member of Parliament. This gave me a good understanding of how government works and what citizens expect from it through its different arms. As an MP, I gained insight into how legislation, policies, and other vital government documents are developed and scrutinized. I was now part of developing these policies and legislations. Interrogating and engaging them with other brilliant minds in the Committee further fueled my passion as a public representative.

One of the most rewarding experiences as an MP was engaging and scrutinizing budgets and providing constructive inputs to make our government better serve our people. I was able to identify the challenges of the laws we were making, how our people were receiving them and their loopholes. Being on the other side, I learned a great deal about professionalism, uniformity, and empowerment. Unfortunately, our people do not see how professional Parliament is.

As a public representative or Member of Parliament, I understand the importance of keeping my community and constituents informed about the work we do in Parliament. To achieve this, I use my personal WhatsApp to engage with them. Additionally, I make use of my social media platform to share useful information that can enrich their lives.

However, we have seen minimal public participation in Parliament, which is a cause for concern. The public must participate in the laws we make to ensure that their voices are heard. Only a few individuals currently participate, and this is not fully representative of our people's voices. Therefore, we need to improve public participation in Parliament to make our democracy more inclusive.

Areas of reform for the Seventh Parliament

Another important issue is how we adapted to COVID-19 and continued to execute our duties and responsibilities. Fortunately, Members were capacitated by Parliament on how to use virtual platforms. ICT infrastructure was not at its best but we were all able to see all the areas of weaknesses in our ICT infrastructure and virtual engagements.

Therefore, Parliament must look into investing in its ICT infrastructure – we have seen that it works but it needs to be strengthened to ensure effective oversight of Parliament. We could also save a lot of money on travel and hotel expenses if we strengthened our ICT. The committees should have the discretion to engage with their stakeholders physically and virtually.

Secondly, the Union buildings should be used as an extension of Parliament. It may cover some of the events that Parliament does to further save and get more South Africans involved in Parliamentary work.

What does the future hold?

If I am not elected as an MP, I can use the experience that I gained during my five years in Parliament to pursue other opportunities. For instance, I could partner with members of the community to establish an organization or cooperative that promotes education, empowerment and transformation.