The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the inauguration of the 7th National Council of Provinces (NCOP). We congratulate Ms. Refiloe Mtsweni-Tsipane and Mr. Kenny Mmoiemang from our ally, the African National Congress, on their election as Chairperson and Chief Whip of the NCOP and wish them well.
We are heartened by the ANC’s steadfast belief in affirming women in key leadership positions in Parliament and across the Provincial Legislatures. This bodes well for ensuring the 7th administration places the empowerment of women, tackling gender-based violence, advancing equal pay for equal work and the many other critical gender rights struggles at the heart of government’s programmes.
COSATU remains concerned by the high turnover we continue to see in Parliament and the challenges this poses to institutional memory in the Legislature and to holding government accountable. It is important that the NCOP intensify its scrutiny of provincial and local government, from insisting that municipal workers are paid timeously to ensuring working class communities receive quality municipal services to eradicating endemic public procurement corruption.
The NCOP needs to assert its role in Parliament and end the problematic tendency of the National Assembly sitting on urgent Bills for years and then expecting the NCOP to rush them over a matter of months and thus exposing itself to Constitutional Court challenges.
The Federation will continue to play its role in supporting the important work of the NCOP, and ensuring the voice of workers is heard in this important House of Parliament.
We want to thank the former Members of the NCOP for their efforts on behalf of workers, in particular, the former Chief Whip Mr. Seiso Mohai as well as Select Committee Chairpersons, Mr. Yunus Carrim and Mr. Mandla Rayi. They were invaluable allies and champions of working-class struggles.
Issued by COSATU.
For further comment please contact:
Matthew Parks
Parliamentary Coordinator
Cell: 082 785 0687
Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za
Cape Town, South Africa