National Assembly establishes 30 Portfolio Committees
4 July 2024
The National Assembly Rules Committee has, during its second meeting held at the Century City Conference Centre, established 30 Portfolio Committees and five other committees, including standing committees. The portfolio committees are configured to shadow the Cabinet Portfolios of the seventh administration announced by the President on 30 June 2024.
The established committees represent an increase of three from the 27 portfolio committees of the 6th Parliament. The increase to 30 follows the separation of the Department of Agriculture from Rural Development and Land Reform, the separation of Science and Technology from Higher Education, Correctional Services from Justice, and theestablishment of the Department of Electricity and Energy. Electricity did not have a Portfolio Committee before, as the Minister reported to the Presidency.
Portfolio committees are established in terms of the Constitution and the Rules of the National Assembly. These committees allow the House to zoom in to scrutinise and oversee the work of the executive effectively. Rule 225 provides for the Speaker, acting in concurrence with the Rules Committee, to establish a range of portfolio committees, assign a portfolio of government affairs to each committee, and determine a name for each committee.
The 30 established portfolio committees are:
1. Portfolio Committee on Agriculture
2. Portfolio Committee on Land Reform and Rural Development
3. Portfolio Committee on Basic Education
4. Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies
5. Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs
6. Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services
7. Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans
8. Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy
9. Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour
10. Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
11. Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation
12. Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development
13. Portfolio Committee on Health
14. Portfolio Committee on Higher Education
15. Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs
16. Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements
17. Portfolio Committee on Mineral and Petroleum Resources
18. Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
19. Portfolio Committee on Police
20. Portfolio Committee on Public Services and Administration
21. Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure
22. Portfolio Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation
23. Portfolio Committee on Social Development
24. Portfolio Committee on Small Business Development
25. Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture
26. Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition
27. Portfolio Committee on Transport
28. Portfolio Committee on Tourism
29. Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation
30. Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
Committees are the engine rooms of Parliament, and, in terms of the rules, their role includes dealing with oversight, public participation, bills, and other matters falling within its portfolio as referred to in terms of the Constitution, legislation, the Joint Rules, or by resolution of the Assembly.
In terms of composition, Rule 226 states that a portfolio committee consists of the number of Assembly members that the Speaker may determine with the concurrence of the Rules Committee in each case, subject to the provisions of Rule 154. Due to the increased number of committees, the number of members has been revised to 11 members per committee.
The committee also appointed Ms Doris Dlakude as Chairperson of the Subcommittee on the Review of the National Assembly Rules. The subcommittee was mandated to convene – as a matter of urgency – to deliberate on the modalities of establishing an appropriate committee to oversee the Presidency, definitions of such titles as leader of opposition, chief whip of the opposition and chief whip of the majority party. The subcommittee will also review the modalities pertaining to questions to the Executive.
Issued by Parliament, 5 July 2024
