President Jacob Zuma will on Friday deliver his annual address to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) during their joint sitting with the Eastern Cape provincial legislature at East London’s Abbotsford Christian Centre.
Zuma is expected to deliver the keynote address on the last day of the week-long joint sitting, which has seen national and provincial parliamentarians joining hands for their annual “Take Parliament and Legislature to the People” programme.
Zuma’s visit was confirmed yesterday by his spokesman Dr Bongani Ngqulunga who said the president would deliver, as part of his presidential obligations, the main address during the closing ceremony of the joint sitting, which started on Monday.
The lawmakers kicked off their visit with a series of interactive sessions and oversight visits to educational institutions and economic development centres across the host city, Buffalo City Metro.
Thandi Modise, the NCOP chairwoman, yesterday said Zuma would combine his annual address to the NCOP “with his responses to the issues raised by the communities in the Taking Legislature to the People”.
She said key focus areas of this year’s “Taking Parliament and Legislature to the People” roadshow, were education and economic development.
Speaking to the Dispatch on the sidelines of yesterday’s joint sitting, Modise said before their oversight visits this week, the NCOP delegation had held interactive sessions in the province a few weeks ago on education and economic development.
She said such sessions were “to create dialogue on the achievements and challenges facing the economic and education sectors”.
“We came here and did something which we are doing for the first time, that is to isolate education as the main theme of our programme.
“We also sent our research team for pre-visits in October at the Alfred Nzo district, which produces the least results in the province … we are back to create a platform for the general public to interact with their elected public representatives, affording them a chance to raise the challenges they are facing in their communities in terms of education and economic development,” said Modise.
Yesterday more than a 1000 BCM residents gathered at the Abbotsford Christian Centre for the official opening of the joint sitting which was preceded by public hearings on social development and human settlements.
Speaking at yesterday’s gathering, premier Phumulo Masualle said people should be “at the centre of what the government does, not only during the elections period”.
Bhisho legislature speaker Noxolo Kiviet urged members of the public to use the platform this week, “to point to challenges of governance”, and not to use it “as a platform to address political concerns”. “You don’t have to cry at the wrong funeral,” Kiviet said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Zuma coming to East London
Zuma is expected to deliver the keynote address on the last day of the week-long joint sitting, which has seen national and provincial parliamentarians joining hands for their annual “Take Parliament and Legislature to the People” programme.
Zuma’s visit was confirmed yesterday by his spokesman Dr Bongani Ngqulunga who said the president would deliver, as part of his presidential obligations, the main address during the closing ceremony of the joint sitting, which started on Monday.
The lawmakers kicked off their visit with a series of interactive sessions and oversight visits to educational institutions and economic development centres across the host city, Buffalo City Metro.
Thandi Modise, the NCOP chairwoman, yesterday said Zuma would combine his annual address to the NCOP “with his responses to the issues raised by the communities in the Taking Legislature to the People”.
She said key focus areas of this year’s “Taking Parliament and Legislature to the People” roadshow, were education and economic development.
Speaking to the Dispatch on the sidelines of yesterday’s joint sitting, Modise said before their oversight visits this week, the NCOP delegation had held interactive sessions in the province a few weeks ago on education and economic development.
She said such sessions were “to create dialogue on the achievements and challenges facing the economic and education sectors”.
“We came here and did something which we are doing for the first time, that is to isolate education as the main theme of our programme.
“We also sent our research team for pre-visits in October at the Alfred Nzo district, which produces the least results in the province … we are back to create a platform for the general public to interact with their elected public representatives, affording them a chance to raise the challenges they are facing in their communities in terms of education and economic development,” said Modise.
Yesterday more than a 1000 BCM residents gathered at the Abbotsford Christian Centre for the official opening of the joint sitting which was preceded by public hearings on social development and human settlements.
Speaking at yesterday’s gathering, premier Phumulo Masualle said people should be “at the centre of what the government does, not only during the elections period”.
Bhisho legislature speaker Noxolo Kiviet urged members of the public to use the platform this week, “to point to challenges of governance”, and not to use it “as a platform to address political concerns”. “You don’t have to cry at the wrong funeral,” Kiviet said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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