A People’s Parliament means a Parliament that is accessible and responsive to the public yet Parliament’s performance on these constitutional principles are often a hit and miss. Parliament Watch monitor Sizwe Manqele shares some of his observations of the Portfolio Committee on Police meeting on 12 February 2019.
Renewed calls were made this week for policy certainty on undocumented children in South African schools as intimidation against them and school principals continues. The Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) recently held a roundtable discussion on the challenges undocumented children face in schools. Advocacy officer at the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa Sindi Moyo said the situation is getting more difficult for these learners. According to her they have received reports of at least three principals that were fined by the Department of Home Affairs for allowing undocumented learners in schools. “We need urgent solutions and we need to move fast because the numbers are growing.”
The department of labour earlier announced that it will name and shame employers who fail to comply with the national minimum wage (NMW), yet its own systems are found lacking. A coalition of non-profit organisations ranging from shelters for abused women to organisations providing post-rape and other related care and residential facilities for older persons and people with disabilities raised concerns in a letter to the minister of labour Mildred Oliphant about problems they are experiencing with the online exemption system.
With election campaigning in full swing safety and crime has become buzz words for politicians, but mothers of children killed in gang violence on the Cape Flats made it clear they will not let their grief be politicised. This follows political parties like the DA and ANC prioritising the safety of communities on the Cape Flats during their election campaigns. DA leader Mmusi Maimane had a voter registration drive in Bonteheuwel in January where he boasted that the City of Cape Town was the first to introduce a gang unit to help keep communities safe. Thereafter the police leadership briefed MPs on the progress of the anti-gang strategy in Parliament. Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa himself has been on the campaign trail in the Western Cape and this week had a public engagement with community stakeholders on issues ranging from gangs to housing.
21 February 2019, Cape Town – The Budget Justice Coalition notes the irony of a budget handed down on World Day of Social Justice that slashes R50.3 billion from social expenditure over the next three years. While we recognise the tight financial spot the Treasury has been painted into by widespread corruption, under-delivering departments and failing SOEs, especially Eskom – we urge government to recall its first duty: to ensure the progressive realisation of people’s Constitutional rights.
On 21 February 2019, the SARChI in Multilevel Government, Law and Policy invite Prof Thenius Roux to discuss his recently published book, The Politico-Legal Dynamics of Judicial Review: a Comparative Analysis.
The Children’s Rights Project attended a three-day project review and planning workshop by African Children’s Charter Project (ACCPII) between 18th and 20th February 2019 in Banjul, The Gambia.
On 20 February 2019 a group of non-governmental organisations submitted a request to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and to the Ombudsman to take a position on the right of prisoners to vote.
The SARChI Chair in Multilevel Government Policy at the Dullah Omar Institute, and SALGA Western Cape hosted a to a Policy Dialogue with Dr Enid Slack on 5 February 2019 in Cape Town. The event focused on paying for municipal services and infrastructure in metropolitan areas.
Yesterday, the SARChI Chair in Multilevel Government, Law & Policy hosted a Policy Dialogue featuring, Dr Douglas Singiza, who shared the reflections of 18 months of investigation of the Commission of Inquiry into Land in Uganda.
The Dullah Omar Institute's Women and Democracy Initiative, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and Public Service Accountability Monitor convened a Forum on Accountability of the Parliament Administration [FAPA] for civil society and the media on 22 January in Cape Town. The forum was to develop a civil society approach to Parliament Administration Accountability.
On 20 and 21 February 2019, the Socio-Economic Rights project hosted a Community Leaders Workshop. Given the important roles community leaders play in facilitating and realising access to justice for vulnerable and marginalised groups in society, the aim of this workshop was to empower community leaders by equipping them with information on the link between elections and service delivery.
