Opposition Parties Want the President to Account Directly to Parliament

Picture courtesy: (SABC News) Opposing parties demands accountability from the Presidency in Parliament.

(The Post News)- In a bold move aimed at strengthening democratic oversight, opposition parties including uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK), Economic Freedom Fighters(EFF), ActionSA, and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), have united to demand that Parliament and South Africa’s opposition parties want President Cyril Ramaphosa to appear before Parliament and explain recent government decisions.

This initiative underscores their call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to appear before Parliament and provide accountability for recent government actions.

The parties emphasised how the presidency should account to Parliament directly, especially given the rising number of portfolios there.

The parties issued a statement voicing their concerns, starting from economic policies to allegations regarding corruption.

The demand for accountability comes amid the dissatisfaction of the public with the government’s way of dealing with important national matters at hand.

Opposition parties and leaders have been criticising the lack of transparency about controversies about state-owned enterprises and the allocation of public funds.

Hours after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s new cabinet was put into place on Wednesday evening, a Parliament Rules Committee came together to discuss the configuration of correspondence committees.

The newly expanded cabinet means Parliament’s committees will increase from 27 to 30, excluding joint committees on ethics, defence, intelligence, and financial management of parliament and the women’s caucus.

This is a specific committee to oversee the prevalence that the opposition parties are demanding, including Veronica Mente from the EFF.

“We want a vote-one committee, where vote one is going to be scrutinised, and all other entities,” expressed Mente.

This explains why the opposition party leaders cannot stand unproductively while the president and his administration continue to work without important inspection.

Anthol Trolip from ActionSA stated that it was not satisfactory for the presidency to report to the portfolio committee on evaluation and monitoring.

“It’s to oversee a prevalence that can grow like Topsy, and we’ve seen it grow like Topsy, so that is the experience, reinforced by 30 years of experience, and we still don’t have a committee to oversee the presidency,” said Trolip.

Columnists suggest that the opposing parties’s move highlights frustrations with the current governance and accountability in the country.