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Breaking Barriers, Sharing Experiences, and Inspiring Change: Kwazulu-Natal Multi-Party Women’s Caucus and Zimbabwe Women Parliamentary Caucus Exchange Visit
The recent exchange visit, facilitated by the Democracy Development Programme (DDP), between the Kwazulu-Natal Multi-Party Women’s Caucus and the Zimbabwe Women Parliamentary Caucus showcased the power of women coming together to empower each other. It served as a platform for discussing common challenges faced by women in Parliament and their societies, while also strengthening their relationships. This cross-border engagement has broken down barriers and demonstrated that women, regardless of their geographic location, fight for the same cause, especially in patriarchal African societies.
The role of the National Assembly in promoting and domesticating the African Union’s development agenda in South Africa
The African Union (AU) has been instrumental in fostering continental integration and development since its establishment 20 years ago. In 2015, the African Union adopted an ambitious blueprint, for Africa’s development which they called Agenda 2063, “Africa We Want”. The Agenda, 2063 serves as Africa’s strategic blueprint for transforming the continent into a global powerhouse in the future. It represents Africa’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable development, unity, self-determination, and collective prosperity under the principles of Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance[1]. The genesis of Agenda 2063 emerged from the realization among African leaders that the focus needed to shift from the struggle against apartheid and political independence to prioritize social and economic development, regional integration, democratic governance, peace, and security (African Union Commission, n.d).
Role of the South African Parliament in Promoting Constitutional Rights from 1994 to 2023: Challenges, Insights and Lessons Learnt
In 1994, South Africa became a democratic nation and this resulted in an establishment of the first democratic Parliament. The establishment of this important arm of the government was to ensure that it advances the protection and promotion of the country’s constitutional rights. In the modern world, South Africa’s bill of rights/constitution is amongst the leading constitutions as it warranties a plethora of rights which range from right to dignity, freedom of expression, access to healthcare, equality, among others. This paper examines the role of the South African Parliament in promoting constitutional rights over the past three decades, the challenges it has faced, and the insights and lessons learnt.
Implications of hybrid working by parliamentarians as the “new normal” in South Africa.
As Parliaments all over the world were grappling with the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic became a big threat to its Constitutional obligations, such as oversight, law-making and public involvement. The COVID-19 pandemic called for a drastic shift in the way Parliament and Parliamentarians had to conduct their business so as to meet their Constitutional obligations. In South Africa, when the President imposed a national lockdown it coincided with the planned constituency programme of Parliament and Parliamentarians. With this challenge at hand, Parliament had to quickly come up with or explore effective means on how it could with its work unhindered. This saw the introduction of virtual Parliament work as social distancing was seriously emphasised. Virtual work became a new normal not only in South Africa but across the world vaccines, hybrid working was introduced. Hybrid working is a form of working which combines in-person and remote/virtual work and the Parliament of South Africa also embraced this approach to how work they conduct their work. Currently, virtual and in-person Parliamentary committee meetings are going on in all South African Parliaments (National and Regional). This policy brief examines the implications of hybrid working for parliamentarians in South Africa.
Regulating the energy sector in South Africa: Role of Parliamentarians
South Africans have quickly embraced the new term , which is synonymous for scheduled electricity blackouts imposed by the country’s state-owned electricity monopoly, Eskom. The country has been affected by load shedding for the last 14 years with citizens enduring the obvious frustrations which are brought by the intermittent blackouts. South Africa stands at the abyss of a major politico-socio-economic catastrophe. Eskom is in a precarious position as it is failing to rescue the country from the power generation shortages which now have become a daily phenomenon. The power utility organisation has also indicated that the country must brace for at least two more years of between stages 2 and 3, with higher stages not being ruled out. The increasing rolling blackouts which are now currently at stage 6 and the growing domestic electricity tariffs, which are also cutting into meagre and stagnating wages, the high cost of living triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war, retrenchments looming over Eskom workers, and workers across industries pose a socio-political threat to the country. These challenges are fuelling across the country, sparking resistance and resentment. This paper delves into the history behind the energy crisis in South Africa and the role that parliamentarians can play in order to try and rescue the country from load shedding and put an end to it being a significant part of South African daily life.
