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I met today with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, in his capacity as Leader of Government Business, to discuss the relationship between Parliament and the Executive.

I used this opportunity to raise a number of issues that are of concern to the Democratic Alliance (DA). These included the problems of ministers not responding to parliamentary questions, and ministers’ poor record of attendance at parliamentary sittings.

Deputy President Motlanthe expressed his commitment to ensuring that the Executive was held accountable by Parliament, and that the institution of Parliament was respected by government.

The Deputy President reported that measures are currently being put in place to improve the relationship between the Executive and Parliament. For example, unanswered questions are now brought to each Cabinet meeting to ensure that ministers explain why they have failed to respond on time.

The introduction of such measures, and the Deputy President’s commitment to taking the issues we discussed today forward, must be welcomed. The DA will carefully monitor the progress made by the Deputy President in this regard.

I look forward to a continued good relationship with Deputy President Motlanthe that will enable us to seek ways to strengthen Parliament and its place in our democracy.