Editor: As I release the cynic within, my mind is cast back to last week when South Africa’s Defense Minister Thandi Modise attended the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security along with the furore over her ‘insensitivity’ with some pundits asking why she would snub the Commonwealth. Cue the raging cynic as this latest news involving many parliamentarians now jetting off to this Commonwealth conference. Well played, well played and what a way to shut your opposition up.
Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Amos Masondo, is leading a high-level delegation of Members of Parliament to the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) taking place in Halifax, Canada, from 22 to 26 August 2022.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference is an annual forum on global political issues and developments in the parliamentary system for representatives of Commonwealth parliaments and legislatures.
The Canada Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is hosting the conference, which brings together close to 500 Commonwealth parliamentarians, with delegations from 126 national and sub-national legislatures, representing 42 Commonwealth countries.
The 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference will be held under the theme, ‘Inclusive, Accessible, Accountable and Strong Parliaments: the Cornerstone of Democracy and Essential for Development’.
Parliamentary spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, said the delegation will participate in a number of conferences and meetings, including CPC workshops, the 38th CPA Small Branches Conference, the 7th Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Conference, the 65th CPA General Assembly and meetings of the CPA Executive Committee Society of Clerks at the Table (SoCATT) meetings.
“The delegation will also participate in the elections for the Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee; the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians; the Chairperson of the CPA Small Branches, and the CPA Treasurer for new terms of office, which will take place at this conference,” Mothapo said.
The high-level delegation includes Commonwealth Women’s Parliament representative, Winnie Ngwenya; two members from the African National Congress, Phoebe Noxolo Abraham and Dikeledi Gladys Mahlangu, and one member from the Democratic Alliance, Siviwe Gwarube. – SAnews.gov.za
