For the first time since the dawn of democratic governance in South Africa, the Presidency will become directly answerable to a dedicated parliamentary oversight committee.
This follows the National Assembly’s adoption on Tuesday of new rules enabling the creation of an oversight body to which the president, deputy president, and director general of the Presidency will be required to respond to questions relating to policy, spending, and performance.
Political analyst Professor Andre Duvenage said that the move addresses a long-standing gap in democratic accountability.
“The legislative branch, that is, Parliament and other legislative institutions, has the right to control the activity of the executive. While procedures exist for budget approval and oversight, one major institution historically excluded from this was the Presidency. Recently, we have seen the centralisation of many institutions into the Presidency, making oversight even more crucial.”
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: @PresidencyZA/X
