Abstract
There is a prevalent assumption in South Africa that Parliament is guided by the ideals of democracy, accountability, transparency and accessibility. However, there are still gaps and challenges as far as theoversight role of Parliament is concerned, despite the presence of committees that have been established to oversee the executive and relevant structures of government, government activities and public finances. There is widespread maladministration and misuse of government expenditure in government departments. This paper investigates the oversight role of parliamentary committees to determine their relative influence on accountability and democracy in the execution of functions by public functionaries. The aim of the paper is to provide an understanding into inherent problems in the oversight role of Parliament in the democratic dispensation in South Africa, which seems not to have been given serious attention in the academia, considering the pivotal role Parliament plays in the lives of citizens of the country. These oversight committees have selectively held Senior Executives or Ministers accountable for their ineffectiveness, misuse of government expenditure and maladministration. This could be attributed to the fact that oversight in South Africa does not seem to be properly understood and implemented as it should be. Moreover, the influence of the majoritarian authority of the ruling party in committees seems to be colluding with the executive. Failure to take action against cases of omission brings questions on the effectiveness and efficiency of the oversight role of Parliament. The adverse consequence is the delay in the provision of good quality services to poor communities. This paper employed the theoretical approach as a method of data collection. Conclusions have been drawn that the shortcomings of the parliamentary committees compromise accountability and good governance in service delivery.
Highlights
The true test of democracy is to the extent parliament ensure that government remains answerable to the people, which van Schalkwyk, Mmbadi and Jeewa argued is done through maintaining constant oversight of government’s actions (van Schalkwyk, Mmbadi and Jeewa, 2014:4)
The 1994 elections ushered in a new democratic order in South Africa. van Schalkwyk et al, (2014:4) contend that the extraordinary participation by South Africans showed that they desired an end to the divisions of the past and working toward establishing a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights
In ordinary Bills not affecting provinces (Section 75 Bill), once a Section 75 Bill has been passed by the National Assembly (NA), it is referred to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP)
Summary
The true test of democracy is to the extent parliament ensure that government remains answerable to the people, which van Schalkwyk, Mmbadi and Jeewa argued is done through maintaining constant oversight of government’s actions (van Schalkwyk, Mmbadi and Jeewa, 2014:4). 74 Africa’s Public Service Delivery & Performance Review democratic Constitution, Act 108 of 1996 In this process, Parliament’s oversight function received less attention, further compounded by the reality that the Constitution deals with Parliament’s legislative authority in more detail, compared to its oversight role (van Schalkwyk et al, 2014:4). The core of oversight function is to hold Executive arm of government accountable, and to seek to remedy situations where the Executive has not performed according to its stated policies This function includes monitoring the achievement of goals set by legislation and the government’s own programmes. The positive aspect is that they all share a common interest, which is to serve the people of the Republic of South Africa and remain responsible and accountable in this service These institutions are established to assist and to bring the relevant information concerning government departments and their officials to the public. Democratic accountability requires Executive control and Parliamentary oversight, as well as inputs by civil society (Born and Leigh 2007)
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