Parliament must convene a joint-sitting for President Obama

I have written to Speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Mninwa Mahlangu, to request that they convene a special joint-sitting, in terms of Rule 7(2) to allow for President Obama to address members of parliament on his official visit to South Africa this month.

The successful reconvening of the two Houses of Parliament for the address by the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, was a welcome move towards building strong relations between Nigeria and South Africa - Africa's two economic giants. Parliament's role in cementing South Africa's bi-lateral relationships by hosting visiting heads of state must be continued.

There can be no doubt that President Obama's first state visit to South Africa constitutes a significant enough milestone for Parliament to accommodate a special parliamentary session. It is also worth remembering that when President Obama visited Ghana in 2009 on his first official visit to Sub-Saharan Africa, he delivered a keynote address to the Ghanaian Parliament as part of his state visit.

I am confident that the ANC parliamentary caucus will distance itself from the cheap political point scoring of the ANC Western Cape and support my request.

Parliament must continue to assert its role as a premier speaking platform and the most important public square in South Africa. An address by President Obama is another opportunity to make this a reality.

Statement issued by Lindiwe Mazibuko MP, DA Parliamentary Leader, June 2 2013

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