Mabuza can’t play truant from parliament

When the current parliament was constituted in June, National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise promised that the new legislature would be tough on members of the executive. Modise said the days were gone of ministers dodging accountability by snubbing meetings of parliamentary oversight committees and oral question-and-answer sessions. Avoiding parliament had been the norm during the Jacob Zuma administration. But old habits die hard. Ministers still prefer overseas jaunts to Q&A sessions.

What is even more concerning, as we report today, are attempts by MPs from the EFF and the ANC to reduce occasions of holding Deputy President David Mabuza to account in person. In terms of parliamentary rules, Mabuza is obliged to take questions from MPs every month when parliament is in session. The EFF and ANC want this reduced to just four times a year.

This is bad idea and is not consistent with parliament’s constitutional mandate of holding the executive accountable. It can only serve to weaken the institution.

Mabuza harbours the ambition of leading this nation, so the more he appears in parliament the more the public will get to know him — and be in a better position to determine his fate when the time comes.

Mabuza is also the leader of government business in parliament, a position that requires him to ensure that ministers are in parliament when they need to be. He has failed to do this.

Mabuza has so far missed three Q&A sessions, having once cited travel to South Sudan on a peacekeeping mission.

Sure, keeping up with our peacekeeping missions is also one of his important duties but it’s of concern that trips often coincide with his parliamentary schedule, which is determined months ahead by the MPs.

It’s about time that Mabuza starts setting an example to the ministers, if he is serious about his job as leader of government affairs.