‘I have ruled’: First SA virtual Q&A of ministers, with some old tactics
by Marianne MertenWednesday’s ministerial Q&A was a first for South Africa’s national legislature, and has been in the planning for at least two weeks.
Parliament on Wednesday went where few have ventured – a virtual Q&A sitting. The ministerial question session was often awkward as connectivity dipped in and out, and some MPs forgot to mute their mics. But, in other ways, it was business as usual.
The EFF proved physical presence was not necessary to ram home its presence. The usual strategy of firing off a volley of points of order from different MPs on one point worked from cyberspace almost as well as at a physical sitting.
The target on Wednesday was Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, particularly around his reply that it would not do to racialise Covid-19 statistics. It was apparent that the risk of infection was greater in townships and informal settlements due to the difficulty of physical distancing and handwashing.
The EFF argued, in its interjections, that the breakdown of confirmed Covid-19 cases already provided age and gender breakdowns, so why not race? It’s part of the party’s Covid-19 strategy following its rejection of the easing of the Covid-19 lockdown to Level 3 as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “resignation speech from fighting Covid-19 and saving lives, especially black lives”, as its statement of 24 May put it.
“Many people will die because of no access to healthcare and treatment. Majority of these people will be blacks, especially Africans,” the party said.
But National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise would have none of it – all the way from her virtual presiding officer’s chair on video link.
“I have ruled,” she resolutely maintained as it took a while to calm down, dismissing further points of order and invoking the penalty of switching off mics from afar.
Wednesday’s ministerial Q&A was a first for South Africa’s national legislature, and has been in the planning for at least two weeks. It was what’s called a hybrid sitting: in line with Covid-19 lockdown restrictions only 50 people were in the House, with other MPs – and ministers – connected via video conferencing.
This occurred as parliaments around the world are grappling with the implications of Covid-19 on lawmaking and oversight scrutiny
Angola’s Parliament on 30 April extended the country’s State of Emergency in a virtual plenary, with lawmakers dialling in from various rooms in the legislature building, local offices and from home, according to a rundown of responses to the coronavirus pandemic by the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The parliaments of Austria, Germany, Canada and Finland, however, do not permit virtual sittings, and have made other arrangements such as lowering quorum requirements for plenary.
New Zealand and Norway’s parliaments are holding committee meetings via video or teleconferencing, as are Denmark and the United Kingdom, which also has limited the number of MPs in the House of Commons.
Even as committees mostly meet virtually, the number of such meetings, like sittings, has been reduced – and prioritised. Many parliaments have established ad hoc committees to scrutinise their government’s Covid-19 pandemic actions.
Only Wales and Brazil are holding full virtual plenary sittings, according to a research brief by the Oireachtas Library and Research Services of the Irish Parliament.
On Wednesday in the House, physical distance was observed and everyone wore masks, although some were ditched as MPs struggled to be heard. Those participating from the video platform were shown on the giant television screens in the House.
It mostly worked.
Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma just once had mic troubles, triggering a firm “Honourable Minister, we can’t hear you. Please unmute,” from Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli who was presiding from the House.
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu was apparently missing in cyberspace, and so missed her spot on the Question Paper.
“Is the minister online?” asked Modise a couple of times, before IFP Chief Whip Narend Singh stepped in: “Can we not move on to the next question while they locate the minister?”
And so the House moved on.
Returning committee meetings have been held virtually, in two- to three-hour sessions. Amid pressure to wrap up the annual performance and strategic plans scrutiny so the Budget can be passed before the statutory deadline of end of June, much has been made of the number of meetings – 56 this week alone.
“Is the minister of health available?” said Modise. “Can we find out whether the minister of health is on and the minister of social development and all the other ministers who’ve undertaken to be present?”
That’s when Mkhize’s unmuted mic incident happened – “Give me a few seconds I’m sitting on a parliamentary session…” he was overheard talking to someone else – as it was Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga who first appeared on screen to answer questions.
After an apology for the miscommunication, Mkhize took to his questions with aplomb, against the backdrop of the South African flag that also featured as background in his briefing to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) just a day before.
When Zulu was back on, a horrid echo distorted everything she said. And IT was called in to sort it out.
That was one of the awkward moments. But Wednesday’s ministerial Q&A session was important – civil society organisations and commentators had criticised Parliament for not stepping up as the national State of Disaster limited movements, and other rights South Africans take as given, while ministers are ruling by decree without the usual public comments and participation.
Parliament had suspended its business in late March because of the Covid-19 hard lockdown, but resumed at the end of April when regulations were eased.
Returning committee meetings have been held virtually, in two- to three-hour sessions. Amid pressure to wrap up the annual performance and strategic plans scrutiny so the Budget can be passed before the statutory deadline of end of June, much has been made of the number of meetings – 56 this week alone.
But it’s frequently been quantity over quality. Some of this may well be due to moving into the virtual world.
Some of it may be that the National Assembly and NCOP committees usually sit together now.
But it’s curious why MPs would not know that upgrading informal settlements is a long-established human settlements policy, as departmental officials were asked whether reblocking or moving informal settlement residents into more solid structures that are spaced wider, was a Covid-19 strategy.
“There is no extra money. What is happening is part of the overall plan… This is work we are supposed to do and must do,” Human Settlements Director-General Mbulelo Tshangana told MPs on 21 April.
Mostly, official statements following briefings said the committees “welcome”, “appreciate” or “are pleased” with what departments were doing.
There are exceptions.
On 22 May the parliamentary police committees decided to give Police Minister Bheki Cele three months to nominate a suitably qualified person to head the police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). That post has been vacant for over a year since the previous incumbent Robert McBride left as his contract was not renewed.
And the justice committee “decried” the fact that seven years after being adopted, the Protection of Personal Information Act is still not fully implemented. That needed to change, the committee resolved, alongside proper resourcing of the information regulator.
The first virtual Q&A done and dusted, and a presidential question-time slot is now pencilled in for 18 June, just before the end of this parliamentary quarter.
Those scheduling proposals will be discussed at Thursday’s programming committee. With the Budget scheduled for adoption on 12 June, the big question remains the date for Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s Covid-19 emergency Budget.
Despite the urgency to reorganise public finances as the economic devastation of the Covid-19 hard lockdown bites – and the finance minister’s initial timetable wanting to bring that special adjustment to Parliament on 24 June, curiously there is no date. Not even one pencilled in. DM
Marianne Merten
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