Cape Town: Deputy President Paul Mashatile will answer oral questions from Members of Parliament in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Cape Town, on Thursday.
According to South African Government News Agency, the country’s second-in-command will address questions regarding issues related to South Africa’s Social Cohesion Index (SASCI) research report and the planned National Dialogue.
He will also discuss the government’s comprehensive strategy and plans to reduce poverty and create jobs, as well as the implementation of rapid response interventions to address service delivery failures in water and sanitation in rural and peri-urban areas.
In addition, the Deputy President is expected to speak about the District Development Model’s (DDM) whole-of-government approach to solving service delivery challenges, as well as the intergovernmental efforts to assist the residents of Cape Town and other communities in building and upgrading infrastructure aimed at benefiting under-serviced areas.
As the Leader of Government Business in Parliament, the Deputy President is responsible for coordinating the Legislative Programme of the Executive. This role includes ensuring that Members of the National Executive are held accountable.
The Deputy President must also ensure that Cabinet Ministers fulfil their parliamentary responsibilities, which involve answering parliamentary questions and representing the Executive in both the National Assembly and the NCOP, which helps facilitate smooth legislative operations.
According to the Constitution and parliamentary programme, the country’s second-in-command must regularly appear in the NCOP to answer questions posed by delegates, particularly regarding the responsibilities delegated to him by the President.
His work also involves accounting for the work of the Executive, especially in areas that affect the provinces, and facilitating cooperative governance by engaging with provincial representatives in Parliament on issues that require national-provincial coordination and intervention.
This afternoon’s session will be livestreamed on DStv Parliamentary Channel 408 and the YouTube Parliamentary channel.