The Speakers’ Forum, comprising the Presiding Officers of Parliament and the Provincial Legislatures, and chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ms Baleka Mbete, is meeting tomorrow and on Friday.

The Forum oversees co-ordination of Legislative Sector prohrammes to ensure effectiveness and cohesion across the sector. Items scheduled for discussion at its meetings reflect this purpose.

Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi is scheduled to brief the Forum about the work of the Global TB Caucus of Parliamentarians. The Caucus, co-chaired by Minister Motsoaledi, is a worldwide network of parliamentarians which galvanizes them to become champions in the fight against tuberculosis (TB). TB is the world’s biggest infectious deadly disease, although it can be treated and cured. South Africa made world history this week when the Department of Health announced that drug-resistant TB patients would be eligible to receive a new oral medicine, bedaquiline. Treating such patients has been difficult with older medicines because of their many negative side effects.

This week’s two-day quarterly Speakers’ Forum meeting is also scheduled to continue discussions on matters, which came up at the Forum’s session in April. One of these is further consideration of legislative proposals to strengthen the ethics dispensation across legislatures with more robust enforcement. Another is further consideration of proposed amendments to the Financial Management of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act – to further improve governance and fiscal discipline.

Budget allocations to the legislatures, also, will come under the spotlight again. Parliament and the Forum have requested a paradigm shift in how budgets are allocated to them and work is being done to address this matter with the Executive.
 
The Speakers’ Forum meeting is a closed session. However, media wishing to arrange interviews with Presiding Officers attending the meeting should contact: Manelisi Ntsodo (mntsodo@parliament.gov.za 081 716 2021) and copy Modise Kabeli (mkabeli@parliament.gov.za, 081 715 9969).
 

Issued by Parliament of South Africa on behalf of the Speakers' forum of the Legislative sector of SA