The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the response received from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsellor to the President following our submission of research on the financial and constitutional cost of parliamentary disruptions.

Our analysis highlighted how disruptions in the National Assembly can impose significant costs on taxpayers while simultaneously undermining Parliament’s core constitutional function of holding the Executive accountable. The research estimated that a disrupted National Assembly sitting may cost taxpayers approximately R12 464,73 per minute, while a disrupted joint sitting may cost approximately R15 824,27 per minute. More importantly, every lost minute of oversight represents a lost opportunity for democratic accountability.

In its response, the Presidency acknowledged the importance of the research, agreed that disruptions carry serious financial and reputational consequences, and encouraged the Foundation to engage Parliament directly with recommendations on strengthening consequence management and deterrence measures. Significantly, the Presidency also confirmed that the Foundation’s submission would be brought to the attention of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The Foundation will now act on the recommendations contained in the correspondence by engaging the Speaker of Parliament and the Leader of Government Business in pursuit of stronger accountability, effective oversight and respect for South Africa’s constitutional institutions.

Read the Presidency’s response here.