Parliament will focus on major budget legislation and oversight work this week as MPs return from constituencies to resume committee activities.
The National Assembly will hold its only plenary meeting of the week on Tuesday afternoon to consider the 2026 Special Appropriations Bill and the Revenue Division Bill.
The Special Appropriations Bill provides for additional funding requirements for the 2025/26 financial year and proposes to allocate R5.778 billion to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa for its rolling stock fleet renewal programme. This includes R1.8 billion to meet contractual obligations under the agreement with Gibela requiring a minimum order of 35 locomotives annually.
The Bill also proposes R889 million for Centec, made up of R189 million for dual lighting costs and R700 million for operations.
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According to Section 16 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), the law allows the government to allocate funds outside the normal annual budget process.
The Revenue Division Bill sets out the equitable distribution of revenues raised at the national level among the national, provincial and local spheres of government, with an emphasis on strengthening the capacity of local government.
Meanwhile, representatives of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will meet virtually on Tuesday morning for a strategic planning session, aimed at assessing the implementation of the committee's plans, identifying gaps and refining priorities for the coming year.
The NCOP selection committees will also undertake inspection visits to the North West Province from 20 to 24 April to assess service delivery, governance and municipal efficiency.
This comes ahead of a program to take Parliament to the people scheduled for May 11 to 15 in Matlosana Municipality and Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District.
Committees participating in the oversight program include committees responsible for agriculture, economic development, cooperative governance, public infrastructure, education, social services, security, justice, petitions, and executive undertakings.
The Select Committees on Finance and Appropriations have been exempted from North West inspection tours as they will brief provincial legislatures on the Revenue Division Bill during the week.
The National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Defense and Military Veterans will also undertake an inspection visit to Johannesburg and Durban.
Parliament stated that oversight is a core constitutional function and the main mechanism through which the legislature holds the executive accountable and evaluates whether government programs are effectively delivering services.
This week's event is part of the 7th Parliament's rotational model, which divides parliamentary work into committee oversight, constituency engagements and plenary meetings.
A total of 15 committee meetings are scheduled between Tuesday and Friday, covering issues like transport, agriculture, education, public accounts, home affairs, water and sanitation, power and energy, higher education and correctional services.