South Africans must prepare for an unpredictable 2024 - PMG

The Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) has warned South Africans to prepare for an unpredictable 2024.

The warning comes as politicians rush to round off bills and parliamentary processes ahead of the elections.

According to the PMG, the Sixth Parliament term ends in mid-May and according to the Constitution, elections must take place within 90 days after that, so an election is possible between May and the middle of August.

The PMG noted that there are currently 54 Bills in Parliament which will likely be getting “last-minute” attention from committees and MPs.

“This is in keeping with previous cycles where a significant number of Bills are passed in the dying days of a parliamentary session,” the group said. “Given the time constraints, it’s worth wondering if these outstanding bills will be subjected to proper scrutiny and ultimately survive any constitutional challenge.”

PMG said all this would be happening while politicians are distracted by campaigning and political parties trying to one-up each other to win public support.

“This means plenty more finger-pointing, squabbles, grandstanding, brinkmanship, jousting, endless promises and sound bites,” it said.

 

Done by: Alungile Njemla