Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa told the National Assembly on Wednesday he had been cajoling cabinet ministers to make sure they attend sittings and respond to questions, and thought it was working.
Responding to a question from the IFP about the ANC’s frequently empty front benches, Ramaphosa said ministers were attending a babinet meeting, but added that he, as leader of government business, and ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu were actively engaging with ministers to make sure they fared better in their parliamentary duties.
“We are dealing with it to make sure that every member of the executive lives up to their responsibility… We are nudging and cajoling executive members to live up to their responsibilities,” he said.
The remark comes after the National Assembly twice failed to have a quorum to pass the Division of Revenue Amendment Bill last month, only managing on a third attempt after Mthembu went public with his frustration with absent ANC MPs.
Ramaphosa said he would continue engaging with senior ANC members to respect the legislature and would resort to punitive measures only if he thought they were guilty of “wilful and intentional” neglect of their duties, which was not the case.
“I see my role as that of encouraging members to live up to their responsibilities and also cajoling and showing them that we need to take Parliament seriously, so therefore that level of encouragement is ongoing and in the end I have seen a great deal of improvement and expect to continue seeing a level of improvement.” – ANA