Zimbabwe’s Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Francis Mudenda, is among the delegates attending the South Africa Legislative Sector Oversight Summit in Cape Town. The summit, which started on Tuesday, aims to explore ways to improve the quality of governance and oversight in the region.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, hosts the summit and extends invitations to speakers from the SADC region and beyond. The theme of the summit is “Striving for Oversight that ensures the realization of a better life for all South Africans – Examining the efficacy of oversight and exploring ways to improve the quality of governance.”
Challenges and opportunities for oversight
The summit provides an opportunity for the participants to reflect on the effectiveness of the legislative sector in the implementation of constitutional mandates, share experiences within the sector and exchange ideas with regional, continental and international counterparts on effective oversight practices. The summit also seeks to explore partnerships and opportunities for collaboration with relevant and critical role players in the oversight ecosystem.
During her welcoming remarks, Mapisa-Nqakula emphasized that the summit’s focus extends beyond the South African legislative sector to encompass the broader SADC region and the entire continent. She said that the summit is a platform for the participants to share their challenges and best practices with existing oversight models and to harness international standards to enhance oversight, accountability and public confidence in the work of parliaments.
South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile officially opened the summit and highlighted the role of citizens in policy and law-making processes through their elected representatives. He urged parliaments to strive to be people-centred institutions that bring the voice of the people to government.
Zimbabwe’s strategic plan
Mudenda, leading the development of the Parliament of Zimbabwe Institutional Strategic Plan (2024-2028), will share Zimbabwe’s experiences in effective oversight practices and incorporate transformational approaches and strategies from his counterparts to strengthen parliamentary oversight.
The strategic plan aligns with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and the Vision 2030, aiming to enhance parliament’s capacity in performing its core functions of legislation, representation, and oversight. The plan also aims to promote public participation, gender equality, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe.
The summit, concluding on Thursday, will generate a declaration guiding the legislative sector in enhancing its oversight role and contributing to the development and well-being of the people in the region.
The summit comes at a time when the SADC region is facing various challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, poverty, inequality, corruption and insecurity. However, the summit also offers a glimmer of hope that the region can overcome these challenges through effective governance and oversight that ensures the delivery of public services and the protection of human rights. The summit also demonstrates the commitment and solidarity of the regional leaders to work together for the common good of their people.
Source: The HeraldÂ
