Abstract
This chapter examines the role of private members’ motions as a tradition of the South African parliament which fosters the normative relationship between parliament and the public sphere. Private members’ motions are the most significant mechanism used by members for raising and responding to wider social issues within parliament’s most publicised deliberative chamber — the plenary. I argue that Motions initiated and introduced by private members — that is, ordinary members who are not in the executive — are the single most important mechanism for parliament to generate debate on, and respond to, topical issues. Private members’ motions are also the only mechanism available to non-ruling party members to initiate debate in parliament as most time in plenary is taken up with government business, particularly bills tabled by government.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Habermas, J. 1996. Between Facts and Norms. Polity Press: Cambridge.
Murray, C. and Nijzink, L. 2002. Building Representative Democracy. European Union Parliamentary Support Programme: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1910–1993. Index to Minutes of the Rules Committee of the House of Assembly. Internal Parliamentary Papers: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1961. Republic of South Africa Constitution Act, 1961 (Act 32 of 1961). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1961–1999. Annual Report on Parliament. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1963. Powers and Privileges of Parliament Act, 1963 (Act 91 of 1963). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1964. The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1970–1994. Minutes of Proceedings Qournals of the House of Assembly). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1970–1994. Official Reports of the House of Assembly: House of Assembly Debates (Hansard). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1970–1994. Order Papers (Journals of the House of Assembly). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1972. Rules of the House of Assembly. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1983. Republic of South Africa Constitution Act, 1983 (Act 110 of 1983). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1984. Rules of the House of Assembly. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1988. Rules of the House of Assembly. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1992. Annotated Digest of Rulings. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1993. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993 (Act 200 of 1993). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1994–2009. Official Reports of the National Assembly: Nationa IA ssernbly Debates (Hansard). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1994–2009. Official Reports of the House of Assembly: National Assembly Questions and Replies (Hansard). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1994–2009. Order Papers Qoumals of the National Assembly). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1994–2009. Minutes of Proceedings (Journals of the National Assembly). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1994–2009. Minutes of the Rules Committee of the National Assembly. Internal Parliamentary Papers: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1994–1999. Annotated Digest of Rulings. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1996. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1999–2009. Procedural Developments in the National Assembly (Issues 1–15). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 1999. Parliament: The First Five Years of Democracy in South Africa. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 2004a. K. Hahndiek ed. National Assembly Guide to Procedure. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 2004b. Celebrating 10 years of a Democratic Parliament. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 2004c. Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act, (Act 4 of 2004). Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 2005. Rules of the National Assembly. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 2006a. K. Hahndiek ed. South Africa’s Parliament since 1994: Achievements and Challenges. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 2006b. ‘Proposals on a Comprehensive Structure for the Remuneration of Parliamentary Public Office Bearers: Extracts from Parliament’s Submission to the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers’, Internal Parliamentary Paper: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 2007a. A New Face for Parliament. Parliament: Cape Town.
Parliament of the RSA. 2007b. ‘Strategic Objectives: Setting Policy direction’, Avail able at: http://www.parliament.gov.za/cont ent /I-Str at.pdf.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2014 Victoria Hasson
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hasson, V. (2014). Proceduralising the Plenary as a Public Sphere in South Africa. In: Rai, S.M., Johnson, R.E. (eds) Democracy in Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137361912_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137361912_6
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-47244-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-36191-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political Science CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)