Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that the Presidency has nothing to hide amid increasing calls for more effective parliamentary oversight.
In his budget vote reply on Wednesday, Ramaphosa encouraged Parliament to find better ways to monitor the Presidency’s activities.
This marked his third address to the House within a week.
According to EWN, despite recommendations from the Zondo Commission and appeals dating back to Thabo Mbeki’s presidency, Parliament struggles to establish appropriate oversight mechanisms.
The ANC has previously blocked a dedicated oversight committee, citing sufficient budgetary oversight through an existing committee, the report said.
Parliamentary oversight of Presidency ‘correct and proper’, says Ramaphosahttps://t.co/fChPbyx2lU pic.twitter.com/WIbqwDjmPY
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Ramaphosa expressed openness to oversight, stressing the Presidency’s accountability to Parliament.
“I’ve said to my colleagues, we’ve nothing to hide. There’s just nothing that we can say we want to hide, and we are accountable to this Parliament,” the report quoted Ramaphosa as saying.
Opposition parties are pushing for the establishment of a new committee to oversee The Presidency, asserting that the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) should not diminish executive accountability.
Build One South Africa (BOSA) and African Transformation Movement (ATM) members advocated for parliamentary scrutiny over the President, emphasising the importance of accountability in the new political landscape.
“As Build One SA, we support the establishment of a standing committee on The Presidency because the president, as the head of the executive, should too be better held to accountability by Parliament,” the report quoted BOSA member of Parliament Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster as saying.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
