A general view of MPs at the Cape Town City Hall on 22 March 2023. Picture: Gallo Images/Die Burger/Jaco Marais
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has officially declared the date of the inaugural session of the National Assembly.
Last month, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo gazetted the rules for the first sittings of the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), and all nine provincial legislatures.
These rules detail the procedures for the swearing-in of MPs and the election of the president, speaker, and deputy speaker of the National Assembly.
Additionally, the rules will govern the election of NCOP chairpersons, premiers, and speakers in the provincial legislatures.
These first sittings must be held within 14 days following the declaration of election results, which took place on June 2.
The Office of the Chief Justice has since confirmed that South Africa’s seventh democratic National Assembly will be constituted on Friday, 14 June.
The parliamentary session will start at 10 am.
Zondo will preside over the first sitting, where he will call for nominations for the election of the speaker after all MPs have been sworn in.
A secret ballot vote will take place if more than one person is nominated for the position.
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The same process applies to the election of the deputy speaker and president.
“Once the speaker of the National Assembly has been elected, he or she will then preside over the election of the deputy speaker.
“After the deputy speaker has been elected, the Chief Justice will then take over again and preside over the election of the president
“The Secretary to Parliament has received formal correspondence in this regard and will henceforth make the necessary arrangements for the first sitting of the National Assembly to take place in accordance with the determination made by the Chief Justice,” Zondo’s office said in a statement on Monday.
The first sitting of the NCOP will occur on 15 June, while each provincial legislature will have held its initial sessions to swear in its members on dates determined by nine judge-presidents.
“The judge-presidents will administer the prescribed oath or affirmation to members of the provincial legislatures, preside over the election of the speaker of the legislature and the election of the premier,” the statement further reads.
Former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has vowed to boycott the National Assembly sitting.
The MK party is also attempting to interdict the first sitting, citing numerous unresolved irregularities in the recent elections.
Parliament has, however, decided to cancel the MK Party’s travel and accommodation arrangements and will go ahead with the sitting despite the threat of litigation.
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According to Parliament’s spokesperson Moloto Mothapo, the cancellation was done to avoid incurring fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
“Parliament is of the view that it is legally bound to facilitate the first sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces at a date and time determined by the Chief Justice, and there are no legal impediments preventing this process,” Mothapo said on Monday.
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