MPs insist parliament must have oversight of presidency
23 July 2024 - 19:53
UPDATED 23 July 2024 - 22:40
by Linda Ensor
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Shifting management of some state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from the department of public enterprises to the presidency raises concern about accountability as parliament does not have portfolio committee oversight on the presidency, warns John Hlophe, leader of the official opposition in parliament.
The MK party’s chief whip said in the presidency budget debate on Tuesday that it was a “serious lacuna” that there was no portfolio committee for the presidency, especially given the extent of its activities. This had also been recommended by the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture, he said in the National Assembly.
Hlophe, whose election by the National Assembly to the Judicial Service Commission is being challenged because of his impeachment as a judge, said: “Can we trust President Ramaphosa to manage SOEs without parliamentary oversight?”
With the DA in the government of national unity (GNU), the assembly’s rules committee has declared the MK party the official opposition.
Freedom Front Plus parliamentary leader Corné Mulder proposed a mechanism to exercise oversight over the president. ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip, UDM chief whip MP Nqabayomzi Kwankwa and Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi supported a portfolio committee for the presidency.
Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Stats SA and the State Security Agency, both in the presidency, reported to parliamentary committees, as did the planning, monitoring & evaluation department. President Cyril Ramaphosa said previously that the presidency would take over management of some SOEs pending their centralisation in a state-owned holding company.
In a departure from GNU unity, deputy energy & electricity minister Samantha Graham criticised the move of some SOEs to the presidency, saying they should fall under their line departments to keep policy and implementation aligned. Eskom now fell under the ministry of planning, monitoring & evaluation in the presidency rather than the department of energy & electricity. It was the role of ministries to exercise oversight.
“In our estimation this (the creation of a single centralised holding company) is merely a different model for the failed department of public enterprise which creates another unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. The cost implications ... are also astronomical and unjustifiable in an economy which is trying to claw its way out of the financial morass in which it currently exists.”
But Graham welcomed the electricity minister’s move out of the presidency and the creation of a separate department, which she said should have oversight over Eskom.
EFF leader Julius Malema repeated his claim that Ramaphosa was a collaborator of white monopoly capital.
Malema accused Ramaphosa of repeatedly promising people in impoverished places improvement that were never realised. He said he was not being disrespectful but engaging in robust debate. Malema said the EFF would not support the presidency budget as it wasted money.
Opening the presidency budget debate, Ramaphosa emphasised that “central to the work of the presidency is co-operation, partnership and collaboration, both across government and together with social partners and other stakeholders.
“This approach has proven successful in mobilising a broad spectrum of resources and capabilities to undertake actions that have the greatest social and economic impact. Fundamental to the approach of this presidency is to draw on the expertise, experience and capabilities in government and across society,” he said.
“During the previous administration we established many entities both in and outside government, bringing together a wide variety of people to provide insights and inputs based on expert knowledge and sound evidence.”
Among entities set up are the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, the Presidential State-Owned Enterprises Council, presidential climate commission, the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council and the Presidential Working Group on Disability. There is also the Presidential Co-ordinating Council, which brings together leaders of the three government spheres.
“The inclusive and consultative approach that the presidency has taken to address the country’s challenges will serve us well as we embark on the national dialogue,” said Ramaphosa.
“Through the Infrastructure Fund we are going to explore new approaches to blended financing of infrastructure, using the fiscus to leverage additional funding from the private sector, development finance institutions and other sources.
“We are going to continue working with companies, financial institutions and business organisations, both South African and international, during the course of our ambitious investment drive over the last five years.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
MPs insist parliament must have oversight of presidency
Shifting management of some state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from the department of public enterprises to the presidency raises concern about accountability as parliament does not have portfolio committee oversight on the presidency, warns John Hlophe, leader of the official opposition in parliament.
The MK party’s chief whip said in the presidency budget debate on Tuesday that it was a “serious lacuna” that there was no portfolio committee for the presidency, especially given the extent of its activities. This had also been recommended by the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture, he said in the National Assembly.
Hlophe, whose election by the National Assembly to the Judicial Service Commission is being challenged because of his impeachment as a judge, said: “Can we trust President Ramaphosa to manage SOEs without parliamentary oversight?”
With the DA in the government of national unity (GNU), the assembly’s rules committee has declared the MK party the official opposition.
Freedom Front Plus parliamentary leader Corné Mulder proposed a mechanism to exercise oversight over the president. ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip, UDM chief whip MP Nqabayomzi Kwankwa and Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi supported a portfolio committee for the presidency.
Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Stats SA and the State Security Agency, both in the presidency, reported to parliamentary committees, as did the planning, monitoring & evaluation department. President Cyril Ramaphosa said previously that the presidency would take over management of some SOEs pending their centralisation in a state-owned holding company.
In a departure from GNU unity, deputy energy & electricity minister Samantha Graham criticised the move of some SOEs to the presidency, saying they should fall under their line departments to keep policy and implementation aligned. Eskom now fell under the ministry of planning, monitoring & evaluation in the presidency rather than the department of energy & electricity. It was the role of ministries to exercise oversight.
“In our estimation this (the creation of a single centralised holding company) is merely a different model for the failed department of public enterprise which creates another unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. The cost implications ... are also astronomical and unjustifiable in an economy which is trying to claw its way out of the financial morass in which it currently exists.”
But Graham welcomed the electricity minister’s move out of the presidency and the creation of a separate department, which she said should have oversight over Eskom.
EFF leader Julius Malema repeated his claim that Ramaphosa was a collaborator of white monopoly capital.
Ramaphosa accused Malema of playing the man and not the ball and called for respect.
Malema accused Ramaphosa of repeatedly promising people in impoverished places improvement that were never realised. He said he was not being disrespectful but engaging in robust debate. Malema said the EFF would not support the presidency budget as it wasted money.
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Opening the presidency budget debate, Ramaphosa emphasised that “central to the work of the presidency is co-operation, partnership and collaboration, both across government and together with social partners and other stakeholders.
“This approach has proven successful in mobilising a broad spectrum of resources and capabilities to undertake actions that have the greatest social and economic impact. Fundamental to the approach of this presidency is to draw on the expertise, experience and capabilities in government and across society,” he said.
“During the previous administration we established many entities both in and outside government, bringing together a wide variety of people to provide insights and inputs based on expert knowledge and sound evidence.”
Among entities set up are the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, the Presidential State-Owned Enterprises Council, presidential climate commission, the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council and the Presidential Working Group on Disability. There is also the Presidential Co-ordinating Council, which brings together leaders of the three government spheres.
“The inclusive and consultative approach that the presidency has taken to address the country’s challenges will serve us well as we embark on the national dialogue,” said Ramaphosa.
“Through the Infrastructure Fund we are going to explore new approaches to blended financing of infrastructure, using the fiscus to leverage additional funding from the private sector, development finance institutions and other sources.
“We are going to continue working with companies, financial institutions and business organisations, both South African and international, during the course of our ambitious investment drive over the last five years.”
ensorl@businesslive.co.za
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