By Siyabonga Mkhwanazi and Gaye Davis
Parliament has started gearing up for a fourth term, with new and old MPs streaming into the institution to register before their swearing-in on Wednesday.
As MPs trudged in to present themselves to parliamentary officials for registration on Monday, there was an air of excitement, with returning parliamentarians sharing jokes among themselves.
But for ANC MP Sifanelo Vundisa it was a different story. He had come to clear his desk as he was not on the ruling party's list of members returning to Parliament.
"I am officially unemployed," Vundisa quipped to colleagues Maggie Sotyu and Pam Tshwete.
Young Communist League leader Buti Manamela, a novice ANC MP, said he was looking forward to a new challenge and admitted that it was not going to be a walk in the park.
"It is obviously going to be different to raising issues from within and contesting issues. We will be guided by the ANC manifesto in terms of what needs to be done.
"The bonus here is to raise issues from within the parliamentary process. It won't be an easy task, but we will be up to the challenge," he said.
Manamela said he wanted to make sure that Parliament became an effective mouthpiece of the voters.
"We had a vibrant election campaign; we need to sustain that momentum. I am under no illusion that it will be an easy walk (being an MP)," he added.
New Democratic Alliance MP Lindiwe Mazibuko also said she was looking forward to the start of the fourth term of Parliament because of the change in opposition benches.
"The opposition looks different to what it used to be. There are new entrants. There is a lot of new blood in our new caucus. It really looks exciting," said Mazibuko, a former DA parliamentary spokeswoman.
Mazibuko's colleague, Sandy Kaylan, said although this was her third term as an MP, she was excited about the new political landscape.
"It is such an exciting vibe, with so many fresh faces - We are looking forward to a leaner Parliament," she said.
Parliament spokesperson Luzuko Jacobs said politicians were coming in dribs and drabs and that many of the 150 MPs who registered on Monday were based in the Western Cape.
By the close of business last night, 83 ANC MPs had signed up, followed by the DA's 52 parliamentarians, while only nine of the 18 IFP MPs had registered.
The Freedom Front Plus, Independent Democrats and United Christian Democratic Party all had only a single MP registered, while the Minority Front's sole MP, Royith Baloo Bhoola, had registered.
Meanwhile, ANC President Jacob Zuma was due to address his MPs at their first caucus meeting this afternoon, said his aide, Zizi Kodwa. The caucus meeting will deal with the selection of the party's leadership structures in Parliament.
The DA will have its first caucus meeting tomorrow. The meeting will be largely administrative and geared to providing useful information to new MPs.
The election of the DA's parliamentary leader - the person who will be the face of the opposition party in Parliament - will take place at a second caucus meeting on Thursday morning.
DA MP and chief election strategist Ryan Coetzee is expected to have the backing of the majority of DA MPs for the position, despite some support for Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip. The party's chief whip will also be elected at this caucus meeting, and MPs will be allocated to the various parliamentary committees.
COPE leaders were locked in a meeting last night to decide on the party's parliamentary leader.