The committees of the Parliament of South Africa are appointed to oversee the work of government and to process legislation in domains relevant to their designated portfolio. They are composed of Members of Parliament from either parliamentary chamber. Portfolio committees and most standing committees are peopled by Members of the National Assembly, while select committees comprise Permanent Delegates to the National Council of Provinces; these shadow the work of a particular government department or group of departments. Parliament may also establish joint committees, with members from both houses, and either chamber, alone or jointly, may establish ad hoc committees that operate for a shorter timeframe under a narrower mandate.[1]
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Although committees are largely regulated in terms of the Rules of Parliament, the basic framework for their operation derives from Chapter Four of the Constitution of South Africa. The Constitution provides for committees' powers to summon any persons or institutions to provide evidence, for their obligation to provide for public participation in committee activities, and for members' freedom of speech and parliamentary privilege during committee proceedings.[2] In terms of the Constitution, Parliament may not exclude the public or the media from any committee sittings "unless it is reasonable and justifiable to do so in an open and democratic society".[2]
Parliamentary political parties are represented in committees in proportions that are generally representative of their strength in Parliament.[1] Because committee chairpersons are elected by and from among the members of each committee, the majority party in Parliament has the most influence in selecting chairpersons.[3]
National Assembly
editPortfolio committees
editThe portfolio committees of the National Assembly deal with the examining of bills, departmental budget votes, and are responsible for oversight of the work their respective department does.[1] As of 2024, the current portfolio committees and the chairs of each committee are as follows:[4]
Standing committees
edit| Committee | Chair | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Since | ||
| Standing Committee on Appropriations | Mmusi Maimane | 2024 | |
| Standing Committee on Auditor-General | Wouter Wessels | 2024 | |
| Standing Committee on Finance | Joe Maswanganyi[7] | 2019 | |
| Standing Committee on Public Accounts | Songezo Zibi | 2024 | |
National Council of Provinces
editSelect committees
editSelect committees are made up of Permanent Delegates to the National Council of Provinces. Since the National Council of Provinces, is much smaller than the National Assembly, select committees oversee the work of more than one department.[1] As of 2024, the current select committees and chairs of each committee are as follows:[4]
Joint committees
editJoint committees
editA joint committee consists of members of Parliament from both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.[1]
| Committee | Chairs | Responsibility | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Since | |||
| Joint Committee on Ethics and Members Interest | Lydia Moshodi Bheki Nkosi[7] |
2019 | Ethical conduct of MPs and their financial disclosures | |
Joint standing committees
edit| Committee | Chair | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Since | ||
| Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament | Peace Mabe Dikeledi Mahlangu[7] |
2019 | |
| Joint Standing Committee on Defence | Elleck Nchabeleng Cyril Xaba[7] |
2019 | |
| Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence | Jerome Maake[7] | 2019 | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Role of Parliamentary Committees". Parliament of South Africa. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ a b "The SA Constitution". Department of Justice. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ "A Note to the Sixth Parliament: The critical role of Committee Chairperson". Parliamentary Monitoring Group. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ a b c "Committee Chairpersons". Parliament of South Africa. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
- ^ "Election of Chairperson; DHA & SITA on war on queues and chronic network downtimes at DHA offices | PMG". pmg.org.za. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
- ^ "Election of Chairperson | PMG". pmg.org.za. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
- ^ a b c d e "Committee Chairpersons". Parliament of South Africa. Retrieved 2 February 2021.