President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the Opening of Parliament on 18 July 2024.

This joint sitting will be convened at 19:00 at the Cape Town City Hall.

He will use this occasion to outline the priorities of the 7th Administration. This follows the first Cabinet Lekgotla of the Government of National Unity, which took place last week. The Address sets the tone for the legislative and administrative actions to follow and also symbolises the functioning of the new parliament.

Lawmakers will debate the address on Friday, and the President will reply to the debate next Monday.

Since last week, committees have been meeting with departments and entities to review their Strategic Plans, Annual Performance Plans, and proposed budgets for 2024/25.

This forms part of Parliament's consideration of the annual budget. The government can only spend money if Parliament has approved it.

Following their engagements, committees draft a report in which they analyse the plans presented to them and make observations and recommendations. If they want to introduce budget amendments, committees must lobby the Standing Committee on Appropriations.

The process is normally rushed but has been exacerbated this year because Parliament has an even more limited time to consider the budget, which must be passed before the end of July. Many have pointed out that the abbreviated meetings (leaving little to no time for discussion) - due to the lack of venues - and the late submissions of documents have undermined Parliament’s oversight process and the proper interrogation of budgets.

From Monday to Wednesday, 23 budget vote debates have been scheduled in the National Assembly. The debates are a platform for Ministers to unpack the work of government and to give an account of their spending plans and priorities for the year

Meanwhile, the NCOP will have plenary sittings on Tuesday and Wednesday for four policy debates on Budget Votes and to consider legislation before the House, motions and various committee reports. 

View: Budget Debate Schedule

View: Budget Vote Speeches

Given the full plenary programme, the schedule is fairly light in the Committee Corridor where the main highlight is the public hearings on the Appropriation Bill.

MONDAY, 15 JULY 2024

Subcommittee on the Review of the National Assembly Rules (National Assembly) [Consideration of priority matters referred by the Rules Committee and the Programme Committee] 18:15

Standing Committee on Finance, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Minister of Finance on the Annual Performance Plan of National Treasury and its entities] Committee Room M515, Fifth Floor, Marks Building, Parliament, 11:00-15:00

Select Committee on Security and Justice, (National Council of Provinces), [Briefing by the Minister and Department on the Home Affairs Budget Vote 5], Committee Room 2, Upper Ground Floor, 90 Plein Street Building, Parliament, 14:00-17:00


TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2024

Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, (National Assembly), [Briefing the Content Advisor on the Portfolio Committee Legacy Report of the 6^th Parliament; Briefing by the Committee Secretary on the Committee First Term Programme; Consideration and adoption of the minutes], Committee Room 1, Upper Ground Floor, 90 Plein Street Building, 09:00-12:00

Standing Committee on Appropriations, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Financial and Fiscal Commission on the 2024 Appropriation Bill], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Select Committee on Appropriations, (National Council of Provinces), [Briefing by National Treasury on Appropriation Bill [B5 – 2024]], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-13:00

WEDNESDAY, 17 JULY 2024

Standing Committee on Appropriations, (National Assembly), [Briefing by the Parliamentary Budget Office on the 2024 Appropriation Bill], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Select Committee on Appropriations, (National Council of Provinces), [Briefing by Financial and Fiscal Commission on Appropriation Bill [B5 – 2024]], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-13:00

Select Committee on Security and Justice, (National Council of Provinces), [Briefing by the Minister and Department on the Police Budget Vote 28], Committee Room M515, Fifth Floor, Marks Building, Parliament, 10:00-13:00

FRIDAY, 19 JULY 2024

Standing Committee on Appropriations, (National Assembly), [Public Hearing on the 2024 Appropriation Bill], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-12:00

Committees provide a platform for the public to present views directly to MPs. Share your thoughts, on-the-ground experience and expert information with the relevant committees. Critically, what questions should MPs pose to the Executive as they conduct their oversight work? Write to a Parliamentary Committee

View the schedule page here.

The schedule is subject to frequent changes and needs to be checked daily.

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