CAPE TOWN – As South Africa marches forth into its sixth democratic term, the focus shifts to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday.
Delegates to the NCOP will be officially sworn in and a chairperson and deputy chairperson will be elected.
The National Council Of Provinces consists of 90 provincial delegates – 10 delegates for each of the nine provinces, meaning all provinces have an equal say no matter how big or small their population.
The NCOP allows provinces and local government authorities to have a direct say in the workings of Parliament, with delegates expected to build working relationships between national provincial and local structures.
Permanent delegates of the NCOP were expected to formally register on Tuesday.
Today they’ll go through much the same process as their National Assembly colleagues did on Wednesday.
Designated members of the NCOP will be sworn-in by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.
The chairperson, deputy chairperson, chief whip, and House chairpersons will then be elected, allowing the body to prepare to contribute to the nation’s sixth democratic term.