Mr Xolile George, the Secretary to Parliament, recently presented his thoughts before the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) during the 152nd International Parliamentary Union Assembly in Istanbul, Türkiye. Being a member of a delegation spearheaded by Ms. Thoko Didiza, the secretary to Parliament, she emphasised South Africa’s progress in lawmaking and the need for changes aimed at enhancing oversight over the presidency.
The proposed changes seek to fill a particular void within the framework of the national budget, called “Vote 1,” which was noted by the Sixth Parliament. This project is the country’s response to the findings of the Judicial Commission’s inquiry into state capture, corruption, and fraud.
To address this loophole, a special committee on the presidency was created in the National Assembly. Its regulations came into effect in November 2025 and were approved in December 2025. The functions of this committee include oversight of the budget as well as other activities carried out by the presidency and ensuring that the members of the executive give an account of their activities and interact with the president and deputy president each year.
The laws supporting this process include the Public Finance Management Act and the Money Bill Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act, according to which Parliament can scrutinise government spending and call officials for questioning. As explained by Mr. George, the Committee on the Presidency started its work in 2026.
As a means to enhance this new system of oversight, the Parliamentary Budget Office and the Rules Committee of the National Assembly undertook intensive research on how such oversight is done internationally. This enabled the formulation of the new rules to have detailed procedures such as giving prior notice of engagement and deferring replies, which make the engagement process more organised.
In the end, these reforms will help implement the constitutional requirement of holding executives accountable. In involving the IPU in such reforms, South Africa participates in the worldwide practice of exchanging parliamentary procedures that are supposed to encourage sustainable governance and democracy.
