As Parliament resumes for final term, DA hopes for agreement with ANC on oustanding committees
The DA is accusing the ANC of reneging on an agreement to split the chairpersonships of the remaining six joint committees of both houses, equally.
DA leader John Steenhuisen, DA MP Siviwe Gwarube, and President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Cape Town International Convention Centre for the first sitting of the National Assembly on 14 June 2024. Picture: GCIS
CAPE TOWN - Parliament resumes for its final term of the year this week, and the Democratic Alliance (DA) is hoping to reach an agreement with the African National Congress (ANC) over setting up outstanding committees.
With the advent of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the DA has for the first time been able to lead parliamentary committees.
But it’s accusing the ANC of reneging on an agreement to split the chairpersonships of the remaining six joint committees of both houses equally.
The ANC's chief whip, Mdumiseni Ntuli, however, says the DA is being dramatic.
While parliamentary portfolio committees aligned to government departments started working once the GNU was established, more than 100 days later, joint committees on intelligence, defence, ethics and the financial management of parliament are among those yet to get going.
It means complaints against Members of Parliament (MPs) are not being addressed, the intelligence services are not being monitored, and there’s currently no oversight over the finances of Parliament and its post-fire rebuilding project.
DA chief whip George Michalakis said the ANC has jumped the gun by assigning its designates to its caucus, while negotiations are yet to be concluded with the DA.
The DA had asked for at least two of its chairpersons to come from the National Assembly owing to experience.
He’s now threatening to withhold the names of the DA’s designates to the joint committees until the ANC returns to the negotiating table.
The ANC is yet to respond to a request for comment.