The FW de Klerk Foundation has released new calculations detailing the severe public cost of parliamentary disruptions, revealing that just one hour of disorder in a joint sitting can cost taxpayers nearly R1 million.

The analysis follows the disruption of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s question-and-answer session in the National Assembly on 14 May 2026. 

When members objected to the order of business and walked out, taxpayers were left footing the bill for the President, Members of Parliament (MPs), presiding officers, staff, broadcasters, security, interpreters, and technicians.

As emphasised by Christo van der Rheede, Executive Director of the FW de Klerk Foundation, while the Constitution mandates mechanisms for executive accountability, obstructed proceedings mean citizens are essentially buying less accountability. Society is subsidising preventable disorder, with the public paying the price through a less efficient legislature every time it implodes into chaos.

The True Cost per Minute

Using official remuneration schedules and Parliament’s 2026/27 Annual Performance Plan, the Foundation modeled the financial impact of lost oversight:

National Assembly (NA) Disruption: When combining the remuneration of 400 NA members with the institutional machinery allocated for legislation and oversight, the disruption rate is R12 464,73 per minute.

Joint Sitting Disruption: In a joint sitting of 490 members, this estimated cost climbs to R15 824,27 per minute.

When scaled, the waste of public funds becomes staggering:

 Ten minutes of NA disorder costs taxpayers R124 647,30.

 Twenty minutes of NA disruption burns through R249 294,60.

 Half an hour of NA disorder wastes R373 941,90.

 One disrupted hour in the NA costs R747 883,80.

 One wasted hour in a joint sitting reaches an estimated R949 456,20.

These figures exclude additional expenses such as extra security, overtime, technical delays, and generator inefficiencies. 

Furthermore, these disruptions occur in a highly expensive temporary environment; after the 2022 fire, the Nieuwmeester Dome project reportedly cost roughly R30 million.

The Opportunity Cost of Accountability

Beyond the financial waste, disruptions directly erode the constitutional mechanisms meant to scrutinize executive action.

Parliament recently reported receiving 572 oral questions to the Executive, resulting in an almost 90% reply rate.

In contrast, 3 315 written questions yielded only a 49% reply rate, making oral accountability far more reliable.

Every disrupted minute may erase a supplementary question, reduce pressure on the Executive, and deprive rule-abiding MPs of oversight time.

Weak Deterrence for Misconduct

Despite National Assembly and Joint Rules prohibiting grossly disorderly conduct, current penalties fail to act as a proper deterrent. Under section 12(5) of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act, the maximum fine for serious misconduct is limited to up to one month’s salary, which is about R110 247,33.

This maximum penalty is smaller than the cost of just nine minutes of an ordinary National Assembly disruption. 

The Foundation maintains that while a democracy must tolerate sharp disagreement, Parliament must enforce its rules, publish disruption cost estimates, and ensure sanctions reflect the real public loss.

Media Contact:

Ismail Joosub

The FW de Klerk Foundation

ismail@fwdeklerk.org