KwaZulu-Natal legislature Speaker Nontembeko Boyce has issued a stern warning to provincial departments over their failure to provide timely written responses to questions from members of the provincial legislature. The speaker emphasized that the continuous failure to respond is viewed as contempt of the house, forcing questions intended for written reply to be debated orally and wasting the legislature’s limited time.
Boyce made her comments during a recent sitting where several questions had to be deferred due to the non-submission of departmental answers. She noted that there was a reason they had parliamentary liaison officers (PLOs), whose immediate tasks include ensuring that the head of department’s (HOD) office responds to questions for the MEC’s signature.
Importance of Timely Responses
According to Boyce, questions for written reply have up to 15 subsections in terms of the rules, and when an MEC opts not to respond, it subjects the house and the limited time that they have to be responding to that. She explained that politicians sign off on what has been prepared between the two offices, the head of department and the parliamentary liaison officer.
The Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Traditional Affairs (Edtea) had several written questions that were moved for oral reply in the legislature. Boyce noted that the MEC, Musa Zondi, was unwell, and they would be lenient, but warned that they would invoke the rules and the code of conduct in any future sitting without responses.
Consequences of Tardiness
If members of the executive do not respond to questions on time, they are therefore hindering that part of the house to exercise oversight unhindered. Boyce warned that they would attend to it and ensure that the rules are followed. She placed on record that the remaining questions she was going to call were because responses were not submitted as written questions.
For more information on the role of the South African Parliament and its rules, The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government also has a website with information on the various departments and their functions.
- The Speaker has the power to invoke the rules and the code of conduct in cases of tardiness.
- Members of the executive are required to respond to questions in a timely manner.
- The legislature has limited time to debate and respond to questions.
