MPs wrap up and Eskom strike likely
Labour will be in the spotlight this week as Parliament moves towards a lengthy recess for “constituency work”.
An illegal strike may be on the cards at Eskom this week. Workers walked out of the second round of salary talks after the power utility stuck to an offer of unchanged wages. Unions have warned that they will down tools this week, even though as essential service workers it is illegal to do so.
On Monday the ANC’s national working committee will receive a report back on the party’s conference in KwaZuluNatal, which was halted by the court on Friday evening.
The elective gathering did not proceed as planned after a disgruntled group interdicted the gathering from proceeding. The national executive committee deployees to KwaZulu-Natal will report back to the national working committee on Monday.
Monday is the last day for submissions and comments by the public on the 26 short-listed candidates for three vacant commissioner positions at the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC), which are set to be filled ahead of the 2019 election.
On Monday, Gauteng Premier David Makhura will brief the media on the reasons behind his government’s taking over of the running of the ANCrun Emfuleni Municipality. Last week Makhura announced a comprehensive intervention by the provincial government in the municipality, in line with section 139 of the Constitution.
Parliamentary committees sit for the last time this week before the National Assembly begins a lengthy constituency break from June 18 until August.
On Wednesday Parliament’s portfolio committee on police will hold public hearings on the spate of cash-in-transit heists across the country.
On Tuesday, the portfolio committee on mineral resources will receive a briefing on the consultative process of reviewing the Mining Charter and areas of focus in that process. Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe concluded his consultations on the contentious charter earlier in June. The briefing to the committee will provide the first comprehensive presentation on the findings after the consultations.
Parliament will receive briefings on the state of the provincial health departments this week, amid reports of the dire state of public health, with denials by the national Department of Health that the sector is in crisis.
On Tuesday the Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape health departments will report to Parliament’s portfolio committee on health, and on Wednesday the Northern Cape, Limpopo, Gauteng and the Free State will report on the state of health in their provinces.
Also on Wednesday, the standing committee on public accounts will meet the 10 municipalities across the country that are in debt to Eskom. The 10 combined owe the cash-strapped power utility about R10bn.
The Treasury and the Electoral Commission of SA will on Thursday make submissions to the ad hoc committee on funding of political parties.
The committee will hold a “clause by clause presentation” on and discussion of the Political Party Funding Bill and consider submissions by the Treasury, the IEC and others.
The Inaugural Inclusive Growth conference, hosted by the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation, will kick off on Friday in the Drakensberg. The two-day gathering will be opened by President Cyril Ramaphosa and is set to be addressed by leaders from government and business.
The week concludes with preparations for the ANC’s critical special national executive committee meeting on June 18, which is set to discuss whether to dissolve its North West provincial structure, after the removal of chairman Supra Mahumapelo as premier.