People’s Power People’s Parliament: A Civil Society Conference on South Africa’s Legislatures

How well are South Africa’s parliament and provincial legislatures living up to their mandate to represent the people and ensure that government serves them? Do they make laws that truly reflect citizens’ interests? How effective are they in monitoring government’s use of state resources? To what extent are South Africa’s representative institutions addressing the many challenges relating to health, education and basic service provision?

It was to contemplate and debate these questions that the People’s Power People’s Parliament: A Civil Society Conference on South Africa’s Legislatures (PPPP) was held 13–15 August 2012 in Cape Town. The wide range of citizens and citizen groups that participated reflected on the opportunities that the country’s legislatures embody, and the challenges they face. They discussed both initiatives that are under way to address difficulties, as well as suggested new ways to address them. Much of the deliberation focused on representative institutions, but the forum also addressed the need for self-reflection and -critique among conference participants.

The recently released report in the conference summarises key themes and discussions from the event. It aims to document the conversations and issues raised, as well as provide background information on the questions debated. Ultimately, it aims to popularise the debate on how well South Africa’s legislatures are living up to their mandates. The purpose of such an exercise is to encourage public ownership, and hence, the strengthening, of these important institutions.