Politics and Democratic Governance in the Post-Covid-19 Era South African Parliament: Challenges, Insights, and Possibilities

Abstract

In most countries, parliament has the constitutional mandate to both oversee the government and to hold the government to account; often, audit institutions, ombuds, and anti-corruption agencies report to parliament, as a means of ensuring both their independence from the government and reinforcing parliament’s position at the apex of accountability institutions. At the same time, parliaments can also play a key role in promoting accountability, through constituency outreach, public hearings, and parliamentary commissions. South Africa’s political system is based on a parliamentary democracy, where the President is both the head of state and government. The Parliament of South Africa is a two-tier legislature, consisting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces, which work together to enact laws, represent the interests of the people, and oversee the executive branch. The South African Parliament, politics, and democratic governance have undergone significant transformations and challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. South Africa, like many other countries, experienced a profound impact on its political landscape and governance structures due to the unprecedented public health crisis. As a diverse and complex nation, South Africa faced unique challenges in managing the pandemic. This book investigates the journey of the National Assembly since the dawn of democracy in 1994 till date. The primary objective is to document the extent the National Assembly has held on to its constitutional mandate of oversight since independence, its interaction with the Executive and opposition parties as well as its adaptation to the changing political, social, and economic environment. Moreover, it will examine the gender gap, seeking to document the factors that have contributed to the gap and the mitigation strategies adopted by the legislatures at both national and provincial levels to ensure gender parity. The book also highlights how the South African Parliament, politics and democratic governance traverse through the COVID-19 pandemic to capture insights, challenges and possible learnings.