[ Home ] [ Speeches & statements ]

Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces,
Honourable Delegates,

Colleagues, I am pleased to interact with this august House on the occasion of the Parliamentary Budget Vote for 2003/04.

I have said before and I hope you will not mind me repeating that no other institution in the country can showcase our beautiful and rich diversity as a nation quite as succinctly as the NCOP.

I am sure that the authors of our Constitution would be very pleased to see how their noble intentions are being realised.

From giving life to the principle of cooperative governance to giving a powerful voice to the masses of our people in the various provinces and local areas, we are, through the efforts of the NCOP, building and consolidating a true participatory democracy.

This House is the point of convergence of the three spheres of government, which quite uniquely positions it as the bedrock of integrated and cooperative governance.

It is the forum where issues of critical importance to the provinces and local government are debated on a national platform.

Colleagues, I however want to argue that maybe the NCOP is under-utilised by the provinces, and especially organised local government. I am saying this in the light of some crucial matters that are not placed effectively on the national agenda by the provinces or SALGA.

For instance, the ongoing challenges faced with respect to cross-border municipalities have been on the table for a long time.

However, they have not shared their insight, experience and knowledge adequately to allow us to reach a practical and permanent solution in this regard.

Equally important, I think we need to point out the challenges arising from our integrated approach in terms of national and provincial competencies.

We note for example, the oversight work done by the NCOP with regard to the payment of social grants, where the Department of Home Affairs - a national department - issues the identity documents needed for social grant applications but the provinces administer the actual grants.

Even in this regard we need to engage municipalities who very often are responsible for the venues where these grants are paid out. They need to take steps to ensure that our elders and people with disabilities are treated with dignity as they receive the grants.

I would also like to invite you to build on the inputs you are already making in terms of building our national democracy.

It is true that your location, character and constitutional responsibilities oblige you to further develop sound intergovernmental relations, as a common objective.

As we all know, it is the responsibility of the national government to provide support to the provinces. Similarly, it is the duty of provinces to provide assistance to municipalities.

In this regard, the NCOP is a necessary intermediary that represents all provinces and organised local government in a collective manner.

The debates in this House are after all informed by actual experiences on the ground. They afford us an opportunity to achieve national consensus on our collective aim of pushing back the frontiers of poverty.

And they constantly remind us of the peculiarities of the provinces within the broader scope of the national picture.

In this manner, the NCOP distinguishes itself from the National Assembly in a very particular way. While the National Assembly is able to visit one or two provinces at a time, the NCOP is able to send out nine delegations to all nine provinces simultaneously.

In this regard, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your recent meetings in the North West and Eastern Cape Provinces. By adopting this new style, you are really bringing Parliament closer to the people. Such interaction allows an invaluable and immediate assessment and evaluation of policy implementation countrywide.

The NCOP is therefore in a position to detect problems facing local governments, particularly with regard to their finances.

You are therefore in a position to assist at an earlier stage before the remedial intervention envisaged in the Constitution becomes necessary.

Deputy Chairperson, as I said earlier, there remains a number of critical challenges as we complete the last year of the first decade of democracy.

The most pressing is the transformation of Parliament. The finalisation of the mission and vision of Parliament is therefore critical.

We need to begin to define the proceedings and procedures of Parliament less along the Westminster style, and become more African in character.

In this regard the redesign of this chamber away from a two party arrangement is an important milestone.

Colleagues will agree that some of the challenges we face include, among others:

* Continuing to ensure that the distinctive nature of the NCOP is utilised and recognised. We do not want to fall into the trap of seeing it as merely a mirror of the National Assembly.

* Given the size of the NCOP, we need to ensure that the fifty-four permanent delegates are able to effectively perform their functions.

* Similarly we need to strive for the effective utilisation of the special delegates and the provincial legislatures they represent.

We also need to actively work to ensure that the voice of local government becomes more effective and influential as we strengthen the principle of integrated governance.

In addition, we still need to do the following:

* Ensure that Section 76 Bills are thoroughly dealt with, to enrich the national legislative process with the views and concerns of provinces and local areas.

* To conscientise provinces and municipalities to look beyond local boundaries to reach deep into Africa, as we work to regenerate the continent and promote NEPAD and the African Union.

It is important that we do all the above, as we assess the first ten years of democratic governance, while at the same time projecting the objectives, challenges and prospects of the next ten years.

Honourable Members, this House is a perfect platform to celebrate our diversity, especially in the area of language development.

It not only represents the different tongues our people speak, but also the uniqueness of our provinces and people.

It should therefore serve as a constant reminder to all of us, to play a role in promoting our indigenous languages, in both houses of Parliament, to set an example, especially in light of the national language conference to be held next month.

In conclusion, Deputy Chairperson, let me reiterate that I have full confidence in the ability and capacity of this House to translate the ideals of a better life for all, into a daily reality for our people.

My confidence stems from the manifold contributions you have already made in ensuring the progress we have achieved so far.

Deputy Chairperson, let me wish this House all the best in the business of the current session.

I thank you.

Issued by The Presidency

27 May 2003