Parliament Leads Efforts to Strengthen Intergovernmental Relations to Ensure Better Service Delivery

In an effort to strengthen intergovernmental relations, Parliament recently hosted a Three Sphere Planning session where representatives from national, provincial and local government shared ideas on how to improve relations in order to better service delivery.

The theme of the virtual session was Strengthening Three Sphere Planning, Coordination and Oversight, through a Targeted Policy Focus, for Accelerated Implementation. It was officially opened by the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Ms Sylvia Lucas, who said the session should help the legislative sector to strategically align its oversight trajectory to the end of the sixth Parliament with the policy priorities contained in the Electoral Mandate, the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (2019 - 2024), the National Development Plan and other key development policy documents.

"It is imperative that we strengthen our three-sphere planning, coordination and oversight processes and mechanisms. This must, in turn, also assist us to reshape and crystalise our oversight focus, as we focus on targeted policy priorities, as guided by the developmental needs emanating from the developmental landscapes of provinces, metros, districts and localities," Ms Lucas said.

The NCOP Deputy Chairperson told the session that joint integrated planning will ensure that all three spheres of government work together and avoid duplication and fragmentation. "Joint integrated planning will enhance powers and functions of our institutions, which include the ability to work in a cooperative way so that there is greater cohesion and positive impact, and it will also enhance individual accountability amongst our spheres in effective and efficient ways, in order to accelerate service delivery," she said.

Ms Lucas also touched on the floods in KwaZulu-Natal, saying the disaster should serve to remind public representatives to prioritise disaster risk management, the Disaster Management Act and the National Disaster Management Framework, which guides the implementation of the act. These legislative instruments, she pointed out, emphasise the importance of the integration and co-ordination of risk reduction, across all spheres of government. They promote the incorporation of disaster risk reduction into development initiatives and position disaster risk reduction as a statutory responsibility for all government departments.

Addressing the session on the subject of strengthening Parliament's ability to track policy implementation and creating strategic platforms for Parliament to assess and measure the impact of its work, the Speaker of the National Assembly Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula maintained that in order for the country to succeed in meeting its developmental targets, proper planning, execution and monitoring should guide the structure and pace of implementation.

"For this to happen, we need effective oversight of both the planning and implementation throughout all spheres. And, most importantly, we should ensure that where these plans depend on the collaborative effort amongst the various spheres, such collaboration does indeed happen in an effective manner to achieve intended results," the Speaker said.

She also took time to explain current principles of the country's intergovernmental relations framework, which she said are not based on a system of hierarchical supervision amongst the various spheres, but on cooperative governance, interdependence and support. This means that, although there is recognition that certain supervision may be required, in terms of ensuring compliance and providing support to lower spheres, there is complexity and limit to how far such supervision can be intrusive from one sphere to another.

"Parliament's oversight shouldn't be limited to reporting periods, but function as an ongoing monitoring of implementation of policy objectives and plans. Parliamentary committees should assess the rate of implementation through in-year monitoring of plans, identifying obstacles through early warning systems and suggesting trouble shooting to unblock obstacle to implementation throughout the year," she said.

The NA Speaker further argued that although this may already be happening, in terms of quarterly reviews, it needs to be strengthened as a mechanism to guarantee desired outcomes and impact. Performance assessments of government departments and entities should not await the tabling of annual reports. Early warning systems must guide Parliament to assess and intervene timeously.

She also called on Parliament to use the in-year continuous assessment as well as the year end reports on expenditures and annual performance, to ensure that adequate financial resources are allocated to the achievement of the development objectives at all levels.

The Speaker believes properly structured and effective oversight that places the well-being of the people at the centre of government work can make parliaments the driver of efforts for a people-centred development.

Sakhile Mokoena

19 April 2022

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