Johannesburg - The ANC parliamentary caucus plans to be visible in constituencies and partner with civil society organisations to address challenges, the party’s chief whip Pemmy Majodina said on Monday.
“Parliamentary constituency offices will follow up on the challenges raised by communities, working together with local government,” Majodina said.
She made the remarks following the ANC caucus lekgotla held at the weekend and aimed at putting in place a five-year programme that would guide all the party’s MPs.
“The ANC in Parliament resolved to strengthen oversight over the government, and for the restructuring of some state-owned enterprises (SOEs), to ensure good returns on public funds invested into SOEs,” Majodina said.
She said the party would strengthen the ethics rules to include compulsory and regular ethics training for all its MPs.
“As the ANC Parliamentary Caucus, we believe that our focus on raising the standards of ethical conduct from public representatives will go a long way in our efforts to fight against corruption and state capture.”
Majodina maintained that the governing party was moved by the outpouring of grief by all South Africans over the recent acts of brutality against women and children.
“Together with the people of our country, the ANC’s parliamentary caucus says, ‘Enough is enough’.”
She also said the lekgotla, which was addressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, reflected on the mood in communities following recent incidents of gender-based violence.
“We support the call that our communities need to be active participants in stemming the tide against gender-based violence (GBV),” Majodina said.
“The ANC in Parliament will lead from the front in the fight against GBV. We will initiate programmes to raise consciousness in society about the safety of women and children, champion the national dialogue on GBV and lead campaigns that aim to eradicate the surge of violence in our communities.”
She said the ANC parliamentary caucus supported Ramaphosa’s call to review laws on domestic violence and sexual offences.
“With this in mind, the ANC in Parliament will work with other political parties to expedite the making of laws that will impose harsher sentences for all crimes against women and children,” she said.
Majodina said unprecedented levels of public violence and looting of businesses owned by South Africans and foreign nationals had had a negative impact on the country’s economy.