A recent report by Statistics South Africa titled Poverty Trends in South Africa – an examination of absolute poverty between 2006 and 2015 indicated those most vulnerable to poverty in the society are children aged 17 or younger, females, black Africans and people living in rural areas in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape.
The information was made public by the Provincial Speakers’ Forum as a collective during the eighth Provincial Speakers’ Forum convened by the Office of the Speaker of Legislature which was guided by the theme ‘Strengthening Legislative Support to Local Government’ held in the Vhembe district last Thursday and Friday. The forum noted that poverty and inequality have deepened in the last three years and Limpopo together with the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal are at the receiving end. It stressed that a lot still needs to be done to fight poverty, inequality and unemployment.
The gathering was attended by speakers from local and district municipalities, Gauteng Legislature Speaker, Ntombi Mekgwe, Mpumalanga Legislature Speaker, Thandi Shongwe and Western Cape Legislature Speaker, Sharna Fernandez.
It was reported that the forum noticed with pride the progress made in terms of strengthening legislative support to speakers and ensuring the creation of a better life in the communities but further recognised the need to continue implementing the resolutions taken by the Provincial Speakers Forum, work closely and have common synergy between the Provincial Speakers Forum, Municipal Speakers Forum and executives.
There is also a need to provide support for Municipal Public Accounts Committees (MPACs) through the experiences of Legislature’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) in order to strengthen its legislative mandate and recognise the ongoing process to enact legislation to regulate the legislative sector including the Speakers’ Forum, it was reported.
The forum later declared that the Offices of the Speakers, MPACs and all Council Committees in all municipalities should be fully resourced and capacitated so they could function optimally. The Speakers have the responsibility to ensure that there is effective and ethical leadership, which promote good governance and fight against fraud, corruption and maladministration as a result speakers, should unconditionally give allegiance to the Constitution of the Republic and should manifestly be seen embracing multi-party democracy.
Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za
