Last week, parliament agreed to establish an oversight committee dedicated to holding the Office of the President accountable for its expenditure and activities.
This measure is expected to bring a new layer of transparency to the executive office, which has not previously been subject to such direct parliamentary scrutiny.
This has sparked many discussions on its potential role, authority, and scope.
Speaking on VOC’s News Beat show, Legal expert Nthabiseng Dubazana said that many questions remain about how the committee will function and the extent of its powers.
“I think the one thing that makes us question how this committee is going to work is the current rules the National Assembly already has in place to hold ministers, the president, and the Office of the Presidency accountable,” Dubazana said.
“The question is, what is the committee’s job going to be? Is it going to be an extended arm of the National Assembly, are they now focusing on the areas that seem to fall between the cracks? If so, what kind of powers would they really have apart from recommending actions? How binding are these recommendations?” she asked.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: ParliamentofRSA/X
