Babalo Ndenze5 December 2024 | 9:17

Mashatile returns to Parliament to answer questions on land reform and the economy

Deputy President Paul Mashatile will be fielding several questions from the National Council of Provinces on Thursday afternoon and will again be quizzed on the unresolved issue of spaza shops and food poisoning.

Mashatile returns to Parliament to answer questions on land reform and the economy

Deputy President Paul Mashatile answered questions in the National Assembly on 5 September 2024. Picture: @PresidencyZA/X

CAPE TOWN - Deputy President Paul Mashatile returns to Parliament for the last time in 2024 to answer questions on land reform and the economy.

Mashatile will be fielding several questions from the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday afternoon and will again be quizzed on the unresolved issue of spaza shops and food poisoning.

This comes after several spaza shops have been closed down by residents in affected communities recently.

Among the questions Mashatile will have to answer are whether the government has empowered spaza shops and informal traders to respond to incidents of food poisoning and the sale of expired products.

Mashatile will most likely refer members to the president’s previous statements on the spaza regulation, but he may also offer more details on the process.

The economy forms part of most Q&As, and Thursday will be no different.

Mashatile will have to provide details when he’s questioned about the role of privatisation and private sector involvement in the economy, and what strategies the government is employing to attract private investment.

Other issues up for discussion are around promoting democratic governance in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and the need for stability in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.