Babalo Ndenze25 November 2024 | 12:06

Chairpersons of Parly's finance cluster committees want greater oversight of govt depts & entities

Chairpersons of the National Assembly's finance cluster committees want greater oversight of government departments and entities.

Chairpersons of Parly's finance cluster committees want greater oversight of govt depts & entities

Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, Mmusi Maimane. Picture: @ParliamentofRSA/X

CAPE TOWN - Chairpersons of the National Assembly's finance cluster committees want greater oversight of government departments and entities. 

The chairperson of finance watchdog, SCOPA, and the chairpersons of the standing committees on finance, the Auditor-General and appropriations, briefed the media during Parliament's inaugural weekly cluster briefing on Monday.

Parliament also invited science and religious organisations to the briefing, saying the new cluster briefings were to improve public engagement and deepen accountability.

The chairpersons of Parliament's finance cluster committees shared the podium on Monday for their first-ever cluster briefing.

They all agreed on the importance of oversight and increased accountability.

Standing Committee on Appropriations chairperson, Mmusi Maimane, welcomed the introduction of the cluster briefings.

"It's long overdue that, in essence, when you create institutions of our democracy, that Parliament takes its rightful not only in the exercise of oversight."

Parliament spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, explained the new approach.

"This is a strategic shift for the seventh Parliament in terms of improving our public engagement and public awareness."

Parliament is expected to hold weekly briefings focusing on the other clusters like social services, state security or the governance cluster.