That week in Parliament

  On Thursday, all eyes will be fixated on Parliament for the State of the Nation Address (SONA). The speech, due to be delivered at 19:00 before a combined gathering of Parliament, Cabinet, the Judiciary and the public, will seek to build on the...

  1. What is the SONA? It is an annual address given by the President to a joint session of Parliament and marks the official opening of the legislature. It is designed to be a report on the economic and social state of the nation, and includes a...

  It’s an election year so we can look forward to a frenetic schedule and disjointed calendar as the National Legislature is first dissolved and later re-constituted after the elections. We can also expect an unpredictable timetable and two State of...

2018 was a bumper year of parliamentary business. With the year done and dusted, we review some of the legislature’s activities and highlights from this period. Delayed SONA and new President The Fifth Parliament has given us a lot of “firsts”....

 It’s a week of farewells and loose ends… The constituency period beckons, with MPs due to depart at the end of the week and return to Parliament next year. But a fair amount of work will be done before they go as there is some unfinished business to...

It's the penultimate week of the parliamentary year. As a result, there is a bit of frenzy as legislation and important business that can be completed are rushed to the finishing line while other less urgent parliamentary business is dropped for lack...

The NCOPs Taking Parliament to the People (TPTTP) initiative is arguably the biggest highlight this week. The TPTTP programme brings together representatives from all spheres of government and provides an opportunity for the public to engage face to...

The work of the Joint Committee on Constitutional Review is likely to eclipse everything else this week. The Committee was given a mandate by the NA and the NCOP to review Section 25 of the Constitution, and other clauses where necessary, to make it...

There's a full and mixed flavour to the coming week's parliamentary business. The major points of interest will come from the high-profile Question Time sessions with the President in the National Assembly and the Deputy President in the NCOP. This is...

It's a rapid descent towards the end of the year as MPs rush to finalise all urgent business. The endgame of the current parliamentary year is fast approaching. There are only six weeks left before Parliament rises and loose ends are gradually being...