Civil society will help induct new MPs for the first time this week

Civil society will help to induct new MPs for the first time this week. The induction programme for incoming members of the seventh parliament will include a session for MPs to engage with civil society organisations and hear their input on the public’s expectations of elected representatives.

Outa is one of the civil organisations and Dr Rachel Fischer, the organisation’s parliamentary engagement and research manager, says imagine South Africa’s parliament with Members of Parliament (MPs) who listen to the public and civil society, use their input to improve public policy and hold the corrupt and inept to account.

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She says in a vibrant democracy, citizen participation and oversight are essential for ensuring government accountability and transparency. The International Day of Parliamentarism, established by the United Nations in 2018 and celebrated each year on 30 June, highlights the significant role that civil society can play in strengthening parliamentary oversight and ensuring government accountability.

“Our parliament has been weak, reactive and non-responsive. This gap in effective oversight has been evident in the handling of critical issues, including state capture and various corruption scandals. Concerns about corruption, the abuse of power and MPs’ unethical behaviour have led to a decline in public trust.”

Now that the composition of cabinet is known and we are waiting for the constitution of portfolio committees, the monitoring of parliament’s legislative performance will continue, she says.

Initiative to monitor performance of MPs

Outa is part of this initiative, together with the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG), the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) and Cosatu. Outa and other civil society organisations believe that parliament must rebuild public trust through institutional culture change, rejecting the “business as usual” attitude of previous parliaments and ensuring that parliamentarians are responsive and accountable.

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“We hope that the government of national unity (GNU) will live up to its potential by realising a multi-party and multi-stakeholder-driven parliament. Broadly speaking, lawmakers can direct their energy into debating and passing laws that serve the greater good,” Fischer says.

“Parliament has developed a number of commitments, initiatives, reforms and rules to strengthen citizen participation and oversight. If implemented, these could be game changers, leading to a stronger legislature and, ultimately, better development outcomes.

“By fostering a strong partnership between civil society and parliament, South Africa can enhance its democratic processes and ensure more accountable and responsive governance.  We are committed to playing our part in building democracy through active citizen participation and robust parliamentary oversight.”

How civil society will help parliament

Fischer says civil society can help parliament by:

• Scrutinising parliament’s actions, exposing corruption and advocating for transparency;
• Offering specialised knowledge and research to inform parliamentary decisions;
• Ensuring that the concerns of marginalised communities are represented in parliament;
• Encouraging public participation in parliamentary processes;
• Helping parliamentarians to hold the executive accountable through oversight and investigations;
• Facilitating dialogue and collaboration between parliamentarians and other stakeholders;
• Helping to restore public trust in parliament by promoting transparency, accountability and ethical conduct;
• Offering resources, such as research, data and expertise, to support parliamentary work;
• Encouraging participatory democracy by supporting public consultations, citizen engagement and inclusive decision-making processes; and
• Offering training and technical assistance to enhance parliamentary effectiveness.

“We look forward to building a seventh parliament that embraces the principles of transparency and accountability and works tirelessly to empower democracy through active citizen participation and robust parliamentary oversight. We hope to see a significant improvement in the 6th Parliament.”