By Roy Jankielsohn | Leader of the Official Opposition in the Free State Legislature
Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Roy Jankielsohn MPL
The ANC-run Free State Legislature (FSL) have taken the institution to a new level of inefficiency. After closing on 13 December 2024 for the December recess, almost two months later the Legislature remains in recess. The FSL administration have indicated that the political work of the institution will only start on 10 February 2025.
This is a poor start to the first full year of the seventh administration of the Free State government. The FSL will only start its mandated work after the various in-house committees, such as the Chairperson’s Panel and Programming Committee, are able to draft a full programme for the first quarter, this while the first quarter of the legislative year is almost over. The only thing that the Legislature has been able to organise since 13 December is a golf day.
The Executive Committee and Provincial Government Departments are in full swing in 2025 while their constitutionally mandated oversight body is still in recess.
Legislatures are constitutionally mandated to hold the executive to account and do oversight over the executive. The lack of services, corruption and economic decline in the province is largely due to the ongoing shamelessly poor leadership of those in charge of the main oversight body in the province. The Auditor General cites the lack of consequence management in government as a reason for its dismal performance and poor financial management.
The FSL has wasted valuable time that should have been used by portfolio committees to do oversight on hospitals, clinics, schools, roads and other state institutions. Members of the Legislature have also been prevented from asking questions to Members of the Executive (MECs) during this time. The delays in opening for political work again proves that the ANC leadership in the FSL are either shamelessly lazy, or protecting the Executive from legislative scrutiny.
DA Members of the Legislature continue to do political work, that includes oversight over municipal and provincial governments during recess periods.
The DA will raise this issue in in-house committees of the Legislature and continue to demand that the Constitution and the FSL as a so-called “Activist Legislature”, do not continue to be undermined and is respected.