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National Assembly (NA) Speaker Thoko Didiza after tabling Parliament’s Budget Vote on May 28, 2026.
National Assembly (NA) Speaker Thoko Didiza says Parliament’s oversight mechanisms require strengthening and proper resourcing.
She was delivering Parliament’s Budget Vote on Thursday.
Didiza says this will enable the legislature to have early warning signs in place to ensure a sharper focus on issues.
One example of this, she says, is Parliament being able to pick up on concerns of national security.
Didiza says, “A case in point is info that came out that resulted in the Ad Hoc that is investigating the allegation by Lieutenant General (Nhlanhla) Mkhwanazi. At core, it makes us to reflect as parliamentarians in portfolios, can we pick up on matters addressed to us? Can we pick up on it timeously?”
VIDEO | Lawmakers urged to strengthen oversight mechanisms:
PARLIAMENT’S RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has expressed its concern regarding the progress of Parliament’s multi-billion rand reconstruction process.
Parliament has been in the process of rebuilding and refurbishment after large parts of the precinct were gutted by fire in January 2022.
The rebuild process is budgeted at more than R2 billion for the year under review.
Clarke has questioned whether the project will meet its deadline for early next year.
She says, “If Parly can’t manage its own rebuild on time and within budget, how can we hold others to account for infrastructure failures? If the rebuild is not completed in time for SONA 2027, serious questions will be raised.”
