Parliament’s presiding officers have moved to defend their selection of mostly African National Congress (ANC) Members of Parliament (MPs) to visit Russia this week, after other political parties questioned their exclusion.
All but one of the five-member political delegation, led by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairperson Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, hail from the same party.
After the MK Party and Democratic Alliance (DA) said they were not invited to join the trip, Mtshweni-Tsipane insisted she consulted all four of the main political parties in Parliament, but they were unavailable.
Only the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) confirmed an invite was extended to them, which they turned down owing to party work.
The MK Party is questioning the criteria used to select the group of ANC MPs drawn from both the National Assembly and the NCOP, with the only other party representative from Al Jama-ah.
Parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo, who forms part of Parliament’s delegation to Moscow, said the complaints raised by political parties about this trip will be addressed through appropriate parliamentary processes.
“Unlike multi-lateral meetings where parliamentary delegations are composed in line with proportional representation of political parties, the Speaker and the chairperson determine the size and composition of delegates for bilateral meetings.”
During the visit, Mtshweni-Tsipane has met with <a href="https://absafricatv.com/wales-player-ratings-v-south-africa-as-forwards-obliterated-and-attack-toothless/" title="Wales player ratings v South Africa as forwards obliterated and attack toothless”>South African students abroad, reaffirming Parliament’s support for strengthening academic exchanges between the two countries.
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has confirmed that she will travel to Russia in 2027 on the invitation of the chairperson of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Volodin.
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