LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT AND EXECUTIVE ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE
Date
2011-06-08
Authors
RAMOGAYANE, RAMOSHIDI PIET
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Abstract
This study examines legislative oversight and executive accountability in the Gauteng
Provincial Government. Legislative oversight forms part of the constitutional obligations
of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. The study is based on a premise that Gauteng
Provincial Legislature is, as a representative institution and the custodian of the will of
the people of the province, constitutionally enjoined to perform oversight over the
provincial executive (cabinet) to ensure effective public policy implementation (public
service delivery) and management of public finances. The executive is also
constitutionally obligated to account to the legislature.
The study begins the analysis by first doing international comparative analysis of the
British and United States case studies to draw parallels and differences, and more
importantly, to project key lessons relevant to South Africa with regard to the exercise of
legislative oversight and executive accountability. The study then goes further to analyse
legislative oversight and executive accountability in South Africa to provide a broader
national perspective and background to the empirical analysis of Gauteng Provincial
Government as a case study. The analysis unpacks fundamental issues such as key
approaches, methods and instruments used to conduct legislative oversight over the
executive, the institutional relationship (power politics) between parliament and the
executive, the influence of both the electoral and party politics on legislative oversight
and executive accountability, etc.
The empirical analysis of legislative oversight and executive accountability in the
Gauteng Provincial Government also deals with these fundamental issues. Overall
understandings, insights and lessons from this study are then projected into the domain of
recommendations, which, among others, include the electoral reforms, investment in
institutional capacity of the legislature, the strengthening of the legislature’s monitoring
and evaluation systems, the enforcement of oversight sanctions, legislative measures to
enable the legislature to amend money bills, shift in approach to opposition politics, etc
Description
MM - P&DM
Keywords
Gauteng Provincial Government, Legislative oversight