Parliamentary leadership, governance, and institutional excellence dominated discussions raised by the North West Provincial Legislature Speaker, Dr Desbo Mohono, at the 19th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth Africa Region (CSPOC), convening at Emperors Palace in Gauteng.
Mohono is attending the conference with a provincial delegation comprising MPLs and senior officials, including the Secretary to the Legislature, Advocate Lutendo Netshitumbu.
The NWPL Speaker made strong calls for the restoration of public trust.
“As Parliament, how far do we go to ensure that we hold our executive accountable? Because that’s another part of government that has weakened us more often than not. We also need to make sure that we are transparent to our communities, the people that we are representing. How far do we open up to them to contribute to the work that we are doing? Are we engaging our constituency enough in advocating for their voices?” Mohono told attendees.
She implored the 63 parliamentary presiding officers at the conference to use the platform to exchange best practices aimed at improving and strengthening accountability and oversight.
The conference, which began on 16 June and is expected to conclude on 20 June in conjunction with the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, is held under the theme Proactive Parliaments and Sustainable Development: An Imperative for Political Stability in Africa.
It comes amid growing tensions and widespread protests over illegal immigration across the country.
The government has condemned acts of vigilantism and violence against migrants and has assured the public that it continues to work closely with relevant partners to oversee processes addressing the issue.
