Victory for oversight as Parliament finally tables its financial statements

13 September 2016

Parliament has finally and for the first time tabled its monthly financial statements, as required by the Financial Management of Parliament and Provincial Legislature Act (Act 10 of 2009). This is a welcome development and a significant victory in the battle for proper oversight of the legislature.

I wrote to the Auditor-General of South Africa (A-G) in March to gain clarity as to why Parliament had not tabled its financial statements. 

The FMPPLA is quite clear in respect of this obligation, notably section 54(1) of the Act which reads as follows:

54.(1) The Executive Authority must table the monthly, quarterly and mid year reports in Parliament  within five working days of receiving the reports.

(2) Parliament must refer the reports to the oversight mechanism promptly.

Clarification was sought following claims by the Secretary to Parliament, Mr Gengezi Mgidlana, that his office did not believe that it was required to table the reports set out in sections 51, 52 and 53 of the FMPPLA. These include:

- Monthly financial statements;

- Quarterly performance reports; and

- Mid-year budget and performance assessment.

Mr Mgidlana also claimed that the office of the A-G had been part of the decision to not table these reports. 

Yesterday’s tabling of Monthly Financial Statements of Parliament, starting April 2015, now begs two questions: When did Mr Mgidlana finally recognise his obligation to comply with the FMPPLA? And did he deliberately mislead us previously when he claimed that the decision not to comply with the Act was made in collaboration with the A-G?

I will ask that this matter be prioritised when the Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament meets on 23 September. This will be the first proper meeting of this committee which assumes the responsibilities of the Parliamentary Oversight Authority, the body previously tasked with oversight of the South African Parliament.

The DA will now go through Parliament’s monthly financial statements with a fine-tooth comb to ensure accountability, notably in relation to expenditure on security measures and extravagant overseas travel undertaken by the Secretary to Parliament.

Mr Mgidlana has a lot to answer for. The DA will not allow his mismanagement of Parliament to continue.

Issued by John Steenhuisen, Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance, 13 September 2016