MPs push to have Parliament sittings back to normal

Members of Parliament have urged the senior management of the institution to fast track the process of securing adequate venues in order to return to the normal in person sittings.

Parliament had its venues including committee rooms reduced after the fire that gutted the institution last year. During Thursday’s National Assembly Programming Committee, MPs across the political divide agreed for a return to the normal way of conducting the business of Parliament.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed the move by Parliament to push for more venues to be made available in order to allow for MPs to attend their committees physically.

Parliament has been conducting its business via a hybrid system since the outbreak of Covid-19 and the fire which destroyed the National Assembly chamber and parts of the Old Assembly.

DA Chief Whip, Siviwe Gwarube says this is a step in the right direction. “I think it’s important to emphasise that this is going to require ministers in particular to be able to attend in person because that is going to be quite important as we [have] seen in the hybrid sitting, deputy ministers attending and ministers not being there. So, this is the step in the right direction, and we are hoping that we can see an expansion of this for other sittings too.”