By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former Mpumalanga premier and ANC member Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, has been elected chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for the seventh Parliament.
Mtsweni-Tsipane was elected unopposed during the NCOP’s first sitting on Saturday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Announcing the results, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said: “I, therefore, declare Ms Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane duly elected.”
The newly-elected Chairperson vowed to execute the obligations of her Office in accordance with the Constitution.
“The NCOP must foster and maintain a dynamic relationship with provinces, particularly the provincial legislatures as well as the communities we serve,” she said during her inaugural address to the house.
Since its inception, she said the NCOP has always played an important role in the promotion of the principles of cooperative governance and inter-governmental relations.
“The NCOP will need to address the uncertainty which is rife around the status of intergovernmental relations, decisions and recommendations. We must also address issues relating to who takes responsibility for the follow up of recommendations and key executive undertakings while addressing the lack of horizontal integration between the activities of various government departments, “said Mtsweni-Tsipane.
According to Mtsweni-Tsipane, the NCOP has been strategically repositioned over the past few years to improve the quality of life of ordinary South Africans, particularly the poor and the marginalised.
“As we begin with the task of the seventh parliament, the NCOP must foster and maintain a dynamic relationship with provinces, particularly the provincial legislatures, as well as the communities that we serve.”
She said she hoped that permanent delegates would serve as active agents for the ongoing promotion of a dynamic interaction with their provinces.
“The significance of this ongoing interaction cannot be overemphasised, as this facilitates a useful link between both provincial and national spheres of government is faced with a wide variety of developmental challenges, which include the high levels of inequality and unemployment, slow economic growth, as well as the gender-based violence and femicide.”
The Chairperson believes the House has made great strides in institutionalising key oversight and report back programmes.
These include the Women’s Parliament, Youth Parliament, Men’s Parliament, as well as the provincial women’s charter report back programme.
She said the NCOP must collectively strive to work cooperatively with all stakeholders to address the developmental challenges of the nation.
The Northern Cape’s Kenneth Mmoiemang was elected chief whip of the House, also unopposed. Zondo announced that Xolile George, the Secretary of Parliament, was appointed as a returning officer.