Ramaphosa’s Opening of Parliament Address scheduled for July 18

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to deliver his Opening of Parliament Address (OPA) after his inauguration in just three weeks time.

This emerged on Thursday when the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) held its first programming committee meeting.

Briefing the committee’s meeting, NCOP Secretary Modibedi Phindela took the MPs through the House’s programme for the first term, ending on August 2.

Phindela said the OPA, which is a joint sitting of the NCOP and the National Assembly, will take place on July 18.

He said the National Assembly also has OPA in its programme on the same date, and that they have also scheduled a debate on the OPA.

“Our view, chief whip, for now is that it may not be necessary to debate OPA.

“That will be a ceremonial sitting. I hope that is to be a matter to be discussed and finalised so that when we have OPA there is agreement on whether it should be debated or not.”

OPA marks the start of the new five-year parliamentary term and allows the president to outline the government’s agenda, legislative priorities, and key policy directions.

Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said on Tuesday a venue for OPA had not yet been decided and would be confirmed in due course.

Phindela also told MPs that the NCOP sitting, which was scheduled for Thursday, had been moved to next Tuesday.

The planned sitting will elect the permanent deputy NCOP chairperson, programme whip, House chairperson for committees and House chairperson for parliamentary diplomacy.

It will also designate MPs to serve on the Judicial Services Commission, the Magistrates Commission, Pan-African Parliament, SADC Parliamentary Forum and Pension Fund Trustee.

Phindela said it was hoped that the committee would be constituted in the week starting on July 8 when the processing of the Budget was expected to get under way.

“We are hoping that it will be possible for the departments to brief the committees in so far as their strategic plans, the annual performance plans and the budgets are concerned,” he said.

“Our budget process will be compressed (because) by the end of July we must have completed the consideration of the Appropriation Bill,” Phindela added.

After the completion of budget vote debates, which include that of Parliament on July 22, the NCOP will consider the Appropriation Bill on July 31.

Phindela said the National Assembly was scheduled to go on constituency period from July 29 to August 19, while the NCOP will do so from August 5 until August 19.

NCOP chairperson Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane urged the MPs to attend the select committee meetings.

“We cannot overemphasise the need for members to go and attend their committee meetings so that we process the business of the NCOP.

“Therefore, that is an expectation to all of us, not coming of course from us, as directed by the constituencies which we are representing.

“We would then appeal to the conscience of all of us to make sure that we make time for the work of the NCOP,” Mtsweni-Tsipane said.

On Tuesday, the rules committee of the NCOP agreed to reduce the number of its select committees from 11 to 12, and also the clustering of the committees.

It also agreed on the formation of the rules committee, sub-committee on the review of the council’s rules and the programming committee.