Parliament to wrap up its work on Thursday, ahead of elections

Parliament has announced that it will be concluding its work this week, with both Houses scheduled to consider various legislation, committee reports, and farewell speeches from Members. According to a statement released by Parliament, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will consider the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (BELA) on Tuesday at 9am. On Thursday, the NCOP will, during its plenary, consider the Railway Safety Bill, National Water Resources Infrastructure Bill, Transport Appeal Tribunal Amendment Bill, Marine Pollution Amendment Bill, General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill, and the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill. The National Assembly (NA) is scheduled to also convene on Thursday at 10am to consider various bills. These include the Municipal Demarcation Authority Bill, Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, Statistics Amendment Bill, Pension Funds Amendment Bill, and Public Procurement Bill. Both Houses will wrap up on Thursday with Members' farewell speeches, ahead of the Nation al and Provincial Elections on 29 May 2024. About seven committee meetings are scheduled this week to, among others, consider the report of the Pension Funds Amendment Bill and the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill. Citizens can live stream the plenaries of the NA and NCOP on Parliament's YouTube channel or watch Parliament TV on DStv channel 408. Last week, Parliament's officials handed over parts of the National Assembly and the Old Assembly buildings that were gutted in a fire in 2022 to demolition contractors to begin the project of rebuilding the historic building. The initial phase of the rebuild project will involve the demolition of structurally unsafe sections of the building, which have been designated as the 'red zone' due to their instability and compromised safety. The removal of these areas, Parliament said, requires specialised expertise and machinery, particularly given the historical and heritage significance of the building. The damaged sections of the buildings will be cleared this month to start rehabilitation works by August. Source: South African Government News Agency