Seventh Parliament End of Year Review (June-December 2024)
2024 was a landmark political year that will be remembered for a general election that produced a hung Parliament and the consequent emergence of the first coalition government in democratic South Africa.
Conflicts between ideological differences, personal relationships and party interests, plunged our political landscape into unchartered territory for weeks following polling day as the potential outcomes were worked through. We eventually emerged with a government of national unity (GNU) comprising of the African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), Patriotic Alliance (PA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), GOOD, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), Vryheidsfront Plus (FF+), United Democratic Movement (UDM), Rise Mzansi and Al Jama-ah.
A Statement of Intent of the 2024 GNU was signed by the ANC and DA on 14 June 2024.
It includes a provision that: “The parties to this Statement of Intent agree that when committees of Parliament are constituted, the spirit of a Parliament of National Unity shall be implemented to enable parties that are part of the GNU to be accorded leadership positions of some committees”.
The nature of coalition government is such that Parliament plays a critical role for where the dynamics of the inter- and intra- party relationships play out from vote to vote, and issue to issue.
In keeping with the Statement of Intent, the ANC chairs 31 Select and Portfolio Committees while the other GNU members chair 9 committees. GNU members chair several important standing committees, including the Standing Committees on Appropriations, Auditor-General and Public Accounts. With respect to the 4 joint committees, 2 are co-chaired by the DA, and the ANC occupies the other positions. In addition, GNU members occupy various leadership positions in Parliament.
This new arrangement has also held wider implications for the legislature.
The new uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, which was only formed five months before the May election, became the official opposition after winning 58 seats.
Due to their different philosophies and ideologies, it is not surprising that coalition members (mainly the ANC and the DA) have clashed and found it hard to agree on a common programme that they can collectively support.
The first example includes the clash between the ANC and DA around the BELA Bill, including recent rumours that the Minister of Basic Education will be fired. This is after Ramaphosa signed the Act into law in September but delayed the implementation of two clauses that deal with language and admission policies, opposed by the DA, for three months to allow further discussions. DA leader and Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, told the media that the firing of the DA minister will result in the collapse of the GNU.
Another example was the decision by DA Minister of Communications and Digitial Technologies, Solly Malatsi, to withdraw the SABC Bill from Parliament to prioritise a funding model that would ensure the public broadcaster’s independence. This move was criticised by the ANC chairperson of the PC on Communications and Digital Technologies, who stated it would “sound the death knell” for the SABC. Later, in a letter to Parliament, Deputy President Mashatile, as the leader of government business, informed the speaker that executive bills can’t be withdrawn unless he’s been consulted first, and there’s been approval from the Cabinet and the President.
The President established a Clearing House Mechanism to resolve policy disagreements within the 10-member GNU.
Notwithstanding the tensions, the coalition has held firm in several key votes: it approved the budget and amended budget. It’s also evident that - at times - GNU members are less robust and adversarial in their rhetoric than in the past.
A major concern is that the coalition is yet to launch its programme for government setting out in detail, across identified policy areas, what it plans to do during this term. This will make for an interesting State of the Nation Address and Budget in 2025.
New MPs & chairpersons
Following the seventh democratic elections, Parliament opened its doors to new political parties and Members. The Seventh Parliament has the most political parties represented: 18. According to our research, 40% of MPs are newcomers and do not have prior legislature experience.
Interestingly, 8 of the 18 parties in the National Assembly made significant changes to caucus membership in the 6 months of the seventh parliamentary administration. It will be interesting to see the impact the legal action taken by disgruntled MPs removed by the MK party will have on parties changing their members in general.
PMG has observed frequent changes to committee membership. While this is par for the course, as parties are still determining which MPs are best placed on which committee, frequent changes are not good for stability and institutional memory.
An interesting development relating to membership emerged from the National Assembly Rules Committee. When political parties develop their party candidates lists, these lists are subjected to public comment before elections. However, these lists are frequently supplemented with new names and are not open to public participation. The Rules Committee has now agreed “to achieve transparency by ensuring that the names of candidates on the supplementation list are published on the parliamentary website and announcements, tablings, and committee reports publications for a period of 10 days [for public comment] before the new members are sworn in”. The rationale is that if new MPs are sworn in during the parliamentary term, they should be subjected to the same public scrutiny as MPs sworn in after an election.
This initial period has been a learning curve for most MPs. Some are still finding their feet and developing their knowledge in their respective portfolios, while a few are beginning to emerge as key players on issues or in certain committees. They are also acquiring the necessary support and setting up structures, like constituency offices, to enable them to do their job. Fortunately, Parliament prepared an orientation and training programme to upskill them to do their work as public representatives and lawmakers.
Only 7 out of 30 chairpersons of NA PCs have previous experience as a chairperson in the national Parliament.
Committees
More than 725 committee meetings were held since the start of the Seventh Parliament.
Committees got off to a frantic start. Immediately after electing chairpersons, committees had to consider the annual performance reports of departments and entities in preparation of passing the 2024/25 budget. The EFF criticised the rushed oversight.
It was only after this that the new committees could settle in with induction sessions and strategic planning workshops to develop their goals and objectives. These include interventions, enquiries, priority outcomes, legacy issues to take forward, and how they can enhance their work approach and systems.
At the start of the final term, committees began reviewing the annual reports and audit outcomes of departments and entities within their portfolio. These were marathon meetings, including briefings by the Auditor-General of SA. These presentations and engagements were used to formulate Budgetary Review and Recommendation Reports (BRRRs) by each NA PC. PMG recently released a research piece providing an overview of the BRRR process: existing practices, shortcomings, and possible opportunities for improvement.
Some interesting items committees have met on include: the two-pot pension system and the widespread failure by employers to pay pension contributions, SASSA’s response to widespread allegations of fraud in social grant applications, the state of air quality and pollution in the country, a motion concerning donation limits and disclosure thresholds relating to party funding and an update on the South African Ruby Union’s (SARU) proposed equity deal.
Parliament’s joint committees were without chairpersons until November, following disagreements between the ANC and DA over positions. However, in November, the joint committees finally elected chairpersons. It is unlikely that the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence has met, as there has been no reporting on this.
The busiest committees in the NA were the PC on Trade, Industry and Competition (31), PC on Finance (30) and Appropriations (28). This is largely because the latter two committees are central to passing budget legislation. Meanwhile, the busiest committee in the NCOP was the Select Committee on Appropriations (20), again because of the budget.
SCOPA certainly stamped its authority under the chairmanship of Rise Mzanzi leader Songezo Zibi. The public purse watchdog met on matters concerning the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigations into Municipalities in the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal, the performance of various departments and entities, and an update on how medico-legal claims impact the health sector. SCOPA also renewed its agreement with the SIU in late November.
Legislation
After prioritising the budget in term 1, the new Parliament began processing legislation revived from the previous administration, alongside newly introduced bills.
By the end of the year, Parliament passed 10 bills.
The controversial Protection of State Information Bill was revived and referred to the PC on Justice and Constitutional Development to consider the President's reservations.
Adv G Breytenbach of the Democratic Alliance (DA) introduced the Constitution Twenty-First Amendment Bill on November 1st. The Private Member’s Bill seeks to amend the Constitution to create an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) as an independent Chapter 9 institution focused solely on investigating and prosecuting serious corruption cases.
The President referred the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performers Protection Amendment Bill to the Constitutional Court to rule on their constitutionality in terms of Sections 79(4)(b) and 84(2)(c) of the Constitution. He also returned the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Amendment (RICA) Bill to the NA out of concern that the Bill may be vulnerable to constitutional challenges. Including the Copyright and Performers Bills, there are currently 22 Bills awaiting the President's signature.
Both the EFF and MK have consistently criticised the President for taking too long to consider Bills passed by Parliament in National Programme Committee (NAPC) meetings this year. At a joint NAPC meeting, it was reported that Cabinet will finalise legislation for 2025 by the end of March next year to submit a list of legislation to Parliament in April.
See the full list of current Bills.
Questions and Replies
By 12 December 2024, 2478 written questions were asked in the NA. 1905 were responded to, and 990 questions were responded to late. The majority of the questions were directed to the Ministers of Police (194) and Health (157). The Ministers of Police (56) and Communications and Digital Technologies (270) had the highest number of unanswered questions.
According to the NCOP question office, between July - December, there were 767 written questions by members NCOP, with 582 responses received.
Rules Committee prepare rules for Money Bills Act
In late 2023, the Rules Committee decided that clarity is needed on certain aspects of the Money Bill Act processes, especially as it relates to consultations between committees where a particular committee is of the view that a budget should be amended and the need for that committee to confer with another committee. The subcommittee was confident that these rules would be finalised before the end of the year. However, there have been no updates or indications that this has been done.
Interpellations
The Rules Committee also decided on the formulation of proposals for interpellations within the questioning process. It tasked the subcommittee to formulate rules to implement them, being supported by the DA and EFF. Interpellations are similar to snap debates on a matter of public interest. Interestingly, this is a practice in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament and used to be part of the National Assembly before being phased out.
Implementation of Zondo Commission Recommendations
The Zondo Commission made 19 recommendations related to Parliament’s processes (including the processing of legislation specific to Parliament). 27 recommendations related to the Executive Implementation Plan, on which Committees exercise oversight and are required to submit quarterly reports. (See our May 2024 update).
In the 7th Parliament, the PC on Justice and Constitutional Development arranged a meeting between the NPA and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development following media reports that they were embroiled in a standoff over the purported blocking of full access to crucial state capture evidence. The reports allege that due to poor maintenance, the NPA and the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption could not access a sizable digital evidence database that Zondo Commission investigators had compiled. They were invited to clarify the allegations and find a way forward.
In committee meetings, Members brought up the Zondo Commission, asking how many of the matters flagged for investigation by the NPA had been investigated by the NPA, the SIU or other relevant entities.
In the Sixth Parliament, the Rules Committee did not agree with the view expressed by the State Capture Commission that parliamentary oversight may be better served if more chairpersons were elected from minority parties but reiterated that Section 57 of the Constitution (1996), empowered the Assembly to determine its internal arrangements, proceedings and procedures. Under the GNU, this recommendation is now in force.
The Rules Committee decided, through a vote, to mandate the Subcommittee to process the establishment of an oversight committee on the Presidency. The debate to establish a committee to oversee the Presidency has been ongoing for years.
[See a 2022 PMG blog post on the issue].
This was also one of the recommendations from the Zondo report to improve Parliament's oversight over the work of the executive.
Special committee to follow up on government undertakings and petitions
The Rules Committee agreed to establish a special committee to follow up on government undertakings and process petitions. The Assembly is constitutionally obligated to provide mechanisms to ensure that members of the executive branch are accountable for it and to maintain oversight of their exercise of executive authority. In addition to the existing mechanisms, the Assembly does not have specific instruments to monitor undertakings and promises made by members of the executive from the floor of the house. Moreover, while portfolio and standing committees already process public petitions, which are regulated by the rules, guidelines and parliament's petitions framework, practices in committees vary. In some cases, petitions are not dealt with in a timely manner. These shortcomings led to a proposal to create a special committee to follow up on executive undertakings and petitions.
Weekly cluster meetings with media
To strengthen public accountability and transparency, Parliament launched a Weekly Committee Cluster Media Briefings program, starting on 25 November 2024. This new initiative represents a shift in Parliament's engagement with the media and the public, offering structured insights into the ongoing work of parliamentary committees. The first briefing saw chairpersons from the Finance cluster engage with the public, followed by the Economics cluster on 2 December. This is a promising initiative that will provide new avenues for engagement with committees from civil society in 2025.
Appointments
In November, the PC on Justice and Constitutional Development interviewed candidates to fill six posts - 4 full-time and two part-time - for the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). Among these available posts was the Deputy Chairperson of SAHRC. The position became vacant after then Deputy Chairperson of SAHRC, Ms Fatima Cohen, resigned.
The PC on Justice and Constitutional Development also interviewed candidates for Deputy Public Protector (DPP) in November, of which there were 27 applications. The President appoints the DPP on the recommendation of the National Assembly for a period the President may determine at the time of appointment. The period cannot exceed seven years. The Deputy Public Protector may be reappointed for one additional term at the end of his or her term.
PC Communications and Digital Technology recently interviewed candidates for the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) council.
Lastly, the PC on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has recently shortlisted 20 names of people to be interviewed to fill vacancies at the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Board.
Parliament Budget & Audit
The total budget for Parliament for the 2024/25 financial year is R 4,436 billion. The total allocation received from the National Treasury was R3,263 billion which includes R500 million for the restoration and refurbishment of the parliamentary buildings because of the fire damage.
The shortfall will be funded by institutional retained earnings of R101,8 million - retained earnings for the rebuilding of Parliament of R998 million, donor funding of R22,5 million and own revenue of R50 million, according to the speech by the Chairperson of the NCOP, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, for the policy debate on Budget Vote 2 in July.
The budget is allocated to:
o Programme 1: Administration - R2,284 billion;
o Programme 2: Legislation and Oversight - R867 million
o Programme 3: Associated Services and Transfer Payments to Political Parties - R791 million.
Parliament achieved its 10th successive clean audit in the 2023/2024 financial year, with 80,65% of its targets achieved.
Gender in Parliament
Parliament took part in a range of activities to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism for the No Violence against Women and Children Campaign. In December, the Chairperson of the NCOP led a parliamentary delegation on an outreach visit to Western Cape organisations working with survivors of gender-based violence.
The PC on Social Development also received a follow-up briefing from the Department of Social Development on progress made on the implementation of the National Strategy on Gender-based Violence (GBV) and Femicide.
The PC on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities received a presentation from the #TeamFreeSanitaryPads petition on the 29th of October, which raised the issue of the unsuccessful implementation of the Sanitary Dignity Programme (SDP). Challenges included insufficient funding, delays in procurement, quality concerns over sanitary products, and fragmented coordination between government departments. The committee adopted a report on the petition, with a number of recommendations for the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.
There was a decline in women being represented in the 7th Parliament.
Plenaries
Plenary sessions are the most visible aspect of Parliament's work and the centre for parliamentary debate, especially on matters of urgent public importance, passing legislation and ratifying decisions made in committees. Since the start of the 7th Parliament, there were 33 NA plenaries, 42 NA mini-plenaries, 38 NCOP plenaries and 3 joint sittings. Parliament scheduled more mini-plenaries to enable more business of the House to be dealt with.
Some notable issues debated included:
- World AIDS Day: Equal rights, equal access to quality care for all, 26 November 2024.
- A debate on 16 Days of Activism for no violence against women and children: Marking 30 years of democratic rights for women and fostering national unity to end gender-based violence. 12 November, 2024.
- (Mr J S Malema, EFF): A debate on the need for a parliamentary investigation on the impact of the crime of extortion in South Africa, with specific focus on the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. 6 September 2024.
The President, Deputy President and various ministerial clusters answered oral questions in both chambers. In October, President Ramaphosa answered oral questions from the NA, which included questions about the reform of the United Nations Security Council to include African representation, the plans to eradicate the crime of extortion in the country and whether he intends to extend the principle of GNU to all spheres of government.
The quality of responses to oral and written questions by the executive was a major talking point in both NAPC and Rules Committee meetings, led by the EFF and MK’s chief whips, who criticised some Minister's responses as evasive. The opposition parties requested that further mechanisms be established to sanction members of the executive for failing to provide adequate responses.
NA Programme
The NA has during this 7th Parliament strategically reorganised its programme into dedicated weekly rotations for committee oversight, constituency engagement, and plenary sittings, marking a significant step in enhancing its constitutional mandate and serving the public interest, according to a November statement. This structured approach allows Members of Parliament to concentrate fully on each core function without the scheduling conflicts that previously diluted their effectiveness. During oversight weeks, committees can conduct in-depth investigations and hold the executive accountable, while constituency weeks enable meaningful and direct engagement with communities. Plenary weeks, informed by oversight findings and constituency concerns, focus on effective law-making. According to the statement, this systematic rotation not only improves the quality of parliamentary work but also strengthens democracy through enhanced accountability, more effective public engagement, and responsive legislation. The streamlined approach also aims to accelerate service delivery by ensuring that parliamentary oversight leads to tangible improvements in public services and governance.
Parliament Fire and Reconstruction
In 2022, a fire broke out in Parliament, which took 3 days to put out and caused extensive damage to the National Assembly Chamber, hundreds of offices of Members of Parliament and staff, and parts of the historic Old Assembly Chamber. Earlier this year Parliament announced it had secured over R2 billion for reconstruction of the damaged buildings and R118 million for unforeseen expenditures due to the fire and COVID-19, in collaboration with the National Treasury.
According to the website Parliament launched to track the rebuilding progress, it is expected to be completed in February 2026.
Due to the damage caused by the fire, NA plenary sessions have been held in the Nieuwmeester Marquee for fully physical sittings despite concerns about how the tent fairs on days with strong winds.
Looking ahead
Looking to next year, the legislature released its first term programme, and the agenda is packed with activities. Some highlights include oversight and legislative work, SONA and the ensuing debate, questions to the Executive, the Budget Speech, and committee work.
Parliament is yet to finalise and publish its five-year strategic plan. This is important as it will set out the legislature’s vision, objectives and measurable targets.
The Electoral Reform Consultation Panel is delving into far-reaching questions about the institutional design, structure and functions of representative democracy. This could potentially have a significant impact on the legislative sector.
By 29 May 2025, the Panel is required to submit a report to the Minister of Home Affairs for tabling in Parliament, and identify possible options for electoral reform. For each option identified, the report must include:
- reasons, potential advantages and disadvantages of each system;
- their legal and constitutional implications;
- and possible financial implications.
The Constitutional Court reserved judgement on an application filed by the EFF challenging Parliament's decision not to proceed with an impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala matter. There will of course be a keen eye on this judgement.
Past Year-End Reviews of Parliament
We host the latest posts of this blog, written by People's Assembly. You can find more on PA's blog.
We host the latest posts of this blog, written by People's Assembly. You can find more on PA's blog.