Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Dr. Mmusi Maimane has called for Parliament to undergo its own “moment of reckoning,” arguing that current legislative systems are failing to hold the executive accountable and are forcing matters into the courts.
Speaking in a national address, Maimane said South Africa has witnessed multiple processes across both the fifth and sixth administrations that demonstrate parliamentary systems are “unable to effect accountability.”
“What eventually happens is that the matter ends up in courts, which politicizes our courts,” Maimane said.
He pointed to the fact that a review panel report is now itself reviewable as evidence that Parliament must better capacitate its processes.
“On preliminary work, you’ve got to be able to assess and say on the fundamental questions about Phala Phala: did the president act in the best interest or not? And a panel must be able to advise parliament in the most accurate, most deliberate way possible,” he said.
Maimane further proposed that South Africa should consider a Speaker who does not hold party political office, to avoid what he called a “merry-go-round” where Speakers must balance party loyalty with defending the Constitution.
While expressing “huge respect” for the current Speaker of the National Assembly and acknowledging that she has already begun the process properly, Maimane stressed that parliamentary leaders must be able to think independently on behalf of Parliament “so that we never repeat this process.”
He reiterated his longstanding position advocating for the direct election of the president, saying this would allow citizens to have a direct view on whether the president enjoys their confidence.
“If we set the courts aside for one second and say, does the president enjoy the confidence of the citizens? Does the president enjoy the confidence of Parliament? That should be what centralizes this issue,” Maimane said.
He warned that a president fighting legal battles and personal defense would be distracted from fundamental duties, including dealing with underperforming members of the executive and repairing police integrity.
“The sooner we can get through this process, the more important it is, because the work of government cannot be tainted by any delays or any sort of perception that the president is not acting in the best interest of the country,” Maimane concluded.