GARDEN ROUTE DISTRICT NEWS - The Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP), Masizole Mnqasela, hosted the launch of a public engagement programme, Thetha Nathi, in Oudtshoorn and via simulcast in George on 21 September.
It is envisaged this programme will be rolled out to all areas in the Western Cape, commencing in the Garden Route district.
The session involving Mossel Bay was on Wednesday, 22 September
The idea for Thetha Nathi, meaning "speak to us", came about during a public engagement conference in 2019. The aim was to increase the inclusivity of a provincial parliament, in touch with all people of the Western Cape.
These hybrid events were attended by community leaders, representatives of community-based organisations, mayors, speakers of municipalities, councillors, constituency representatives, faith leaders and Members of the WCPP.
"The provincial parliament is not a place in Cape Town. It is a parliament for all the people of the Western Cape. It covers the whole Western Cape.
When I became Speaker, I said we would be doing things differently. I wanted us to be more impactful in how we go about law making, public participation and oversight.
"That is exactly why we are launching Thetha Nathi today, to respond to the needs of all our people, to improve our bonds and to establish an emotional connection between people and the Provincial Parliament," said Mnqasela.
Mnqasela said the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, an institution with the vision to be the best at what it does, placed the people of the Western Cape at the centre of everything it did. He demonstrated this by the example of the institution's response to Covid-19.
"We were able to use our resources and creativity to continue with the work of the WCPP uninterrupted, by going virtual. We even made changes to the rules of the House to accommodate this new way of fulfilling our mandate, long before other parliaments caught on. The problem is, however, that the people in the communities might not have been aware of this."
Mnqasela emphasised that Thetha Nathi is beyond a talk show.
"We care for you and appreciate you," he concluded.
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