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The Speakers’ Forum of South Africa (SFSA), has expressed distress at the disaster caused by floods, which has reportedly claimed over 253 lives in Kwa-Zulu-Natal over the last few days.
 
The first Speakers’ Forum meeting of 2022 was briefed of the ravaging floods in KwaZulu-Natal, which also resulted in the Speaker of the KZN Legislature being unable to attend the meeting. They expressed collective condolences to families that lost loved ones and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
 
The Speakers called for urgent interventions to save lives and livelihoods and further called for the mobilisation of resources and facilities to alleviate the trauma and suffering of the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
 
The SFSA also congratulated National Assembly Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula on her appointment as a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) Task Force established by the world body of legislatures to intervene in the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
 
Ms Mapisa-Nqakula announced this while officially opening the first meeting of the Speakers’ Forum this year in Pretoria East today. She informed the Speaker’s Forum that following the 144th plenary of the IPU held in Bali last month, she had a virtual meeting with the President of the IPU, Mr Duarte Pacheco, who requested her services as a member of the special IPU Task Force on the Ukraine-Russia Conflict.
 
The Speaker said her decision to accept the IPU nomination, followed extensive consultations with, among others, President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Mr Amos Masondo, as well as other Presiding Officers of Parliament. President Ramaphosa also called Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula today, to congratulate her on her nomination, wishing her and the IPU Task Force success in their efforts to mediate the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The IPU Task Force is led by the Speaker of the United Arab Emirates.
 
The Speakers’ Forum further noted with appreciation all international relations work of Parliament including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, other IPU work, the Pan African Parliament, and the Southern African Development Cooperation Parliamentary Forum. Various members of the Speakers’ Forum are even serving on the executive committees of these multi-lateral Parliamentary governance structures, such as the Gauteng Speaker who serves as Treasurer of the CPA Africa Region, and the Chairperson of the NCOP who serves on the executive committee of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Commonwealth  Africa region.
 
The Speakers’ Forum debated a range of other matters that are key to the strengthening of South Africa’s legislative sector including:

A briefing by the Auditor General of South Africa, Ms Tsakane Maluleke, on the AG’s 2030 vision and creation of a well-recognised supreme audit agency of South Africa. The Speaker’s Forum congratulated and encouraged the Auditor-General of South Africa for its clarity of vision and its roadmap to deepen the impact of its work as a nationally and globally recognised audit agency of South Africa. Ms Maluleka presented the 2030 vision, strategy and efforts to help shift the overall culture of the public sector to new heights that are anchored on accountability and focus on people’s wellbeing. The Speakers of the national and provincial legislatures also congratulated the AG for its rating as one of the top two supreme audit authorities in the world, as rated by the World Bank, with full independence to carry out their mandates without undue interference.

A briefing on Parliament’s fire disaster and progress made in executing the recovery plan. This is the first meeting of the Speaker's Forum since the devastating fire that left the National Assembly and Old Assembly buildings in Cape Town destroyed. The Speaker’s Forum has called for more vigilant and proactive measures to protect public institutions and the country’s heritage resources from the malicious destruction that reared its ugly face in the recent fire that gutted the National Assembly and the Old Assembly buildings of Parliament.

Discussing a report of the Acting Secretary of Parliament, Ms Baby Tyawa, the Speaker’s Forum unanimously endorsed a proposal for a special appropriation to rebuild or restore the destroyed National Assembly as a clear message on the resilience of the country’s legislative sector against any efforts to disrupt its operations as recently observed destruction of various state buildings in the country.
 
The SFSA also received progress reports on the following matters: 

• Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Barriers;
• Handbook for Presiding Officers;
• The newly established Parliamentary Institute;
• The amendment of the Electoral Act; and
• The processing of the Legislative Sector Bill and the amendment of the FMPPL.

The SFSA,  which is composed of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of all nine Provincial Legislatures, convened its meeting today to consider a number of critical measures intended to strengthen the country’s legislative sector.
 
The SFSA is co-chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces.

 
Issued by Parliament of South Africa