Tag Archives: Thoko Didiza

Didiza calls for stronger youth participation

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Picture: The Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza

By REGINALD KANYANE

29 September 2025 – The Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, today called for stronger youth participation in parliaments and global decision-making platforms. Didiza addressed the P20 Young Parliamentarians Forum held under the theme: “Young Parliamentarians as Drivers of Global Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.”

She further said the meeting is taking place ahead of the 11th Parliamentary Speakers Summit (P20) scheduled for 1 to 3 October 2025. Didiza added that young people remain a vital force for shaping inclusive, sustainable and peaceful societies.

“We need to underline the importance of harnessing the energy, innovation and perspectives of young leaders. Young people are a powerhouse in exploring solutions to the problems of the modern world. Their perspectives, energy and inventive ideas are critical in helping us find original solutions needed for today’s challenges.

“Although progress has been made, young people continue to be under-represented in many legislatures worldwide. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), only 2.8% of the world’s parliamentarians are under the age of 30, and 73% of Upper Houses have no members under the age of 30,” she said.

Didiza informed delegates that South Africa encourages youth participation in Parliament through political party processes and youth activism, which has ensured that the voices of young people are included in both Houses. She also highlighted several pressing issues confronting young people worldwide.

“These include persistently high levels of unemployment and poverty; the effects of conflict, instability and migration, which disproportionately affect youth; the severe consequences of climate change, also burdening younger generations; and limited access to education, skills development and digital opportunities.

“We urge parliaments to use their oversight powers to advance policies that promote youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, decent work, and access to technology, while also ensuring the responsible regulation of artificial intelligence,” said Didiza.

She said as they promote societies founded on democracy and respect for human rights, they must be conscious that young people are often the most affected by the decisions they make today. Didiza said it is no longer acceptable to take decisions without their voices.

She also emphasised the need for solidarity and international cooperation to build inclusive economies and address global challenges such as inequality, climate change and geopolitical tensions. Didiza said the actions and decisions they take today must ensure that young people, particularly in the Global South, gain meaningful access to economic opportunities and play a central role in shaping a just and sustainable future.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa will officially open the 11th Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) on 1 October 2025. The outcomes of this Summit will inform parliamentary deliberations on issues such as unemployment, education, healthcare, and sustainable development in South Africa, the African continent and the rest of the world,”she said.

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Thoko Didiza to attend Summit of Speakers of Parliaments

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Picture: The National Assembly Speaker, Thoko Didiza

By BAKANG MOKOTO

28 July 2025- The Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, will from 28 to 31 July 2025, attend the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament and the 6th Conference of Speakers in Geneva, Switzerland. The summit is intended to bring together women in the highest parliamentary decision-making positions to shape the parliamentary agenda based on emerging political, economic, environmental, and social changes that require united and gender-responsive global governance solutions.

It offers a platform for women leaders to network and exchange views and experiences.

Didiza said the summit is taking place during a year of many milestones for the women and girls of the world. She further said the year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as the ten-year milestone of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The women, peace and security agenda is marking 25 years of existence and is needed even more today than when it was established. The summit will focus on the role of women Speakers in leading for inclusive and lasting peace.

“Meanwhile, the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in close collaboration with the United Nations, will take place from 29 to 31 July 2025 at the Palais des Nations (United Nations Office at Geneva),” added Didiza.

She said the conference aims to provide a unique forum for high-level engagement and dialogue among parliamentary leaders from around the world. Didiza said previous conferences, held every five years, have served as catalysts for shaping and strengthening the parliamentary dimension of global governance, thereby helping to bridge the democracy gap in international affairs.

“This occasion will mark the culmination of two years of work by a Preparatory Committee of approximately 20 Speakers of Parliament from all regions of the world, and it promises to be the largest-ever gathering of its kind.

“In keeping with the IPU’s inclusive approach, it will also feature prominent leaders from other international organizations, academia, civil society organizations, and the media,” she said.

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Directive from NA Speaker’s Office on Mkhwanazi’s allegations

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Picture: Kwazulu Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi

By BAKANG MOKOTO

9 July 2025- The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron said he has received the directive from the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, mandating three committees to consider, on an urgent basis, in terms of their respective mandates, the wide-ranging allegations regarding security matters that have implications for the country’s national security made by the Kwazulu Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and then report to the National Assembly(NA).

“The mandate is clear and the committee will endeavour to urgently conclude the necessary processes to determine the parameters, format and structure of the envisaged process.

“But of utmost importance is the need for urgency in finalising modalities to set the process in motion. To this end, a legal opinion, which has already been requested, is necessary to ascertain the best possible approach,” he said.

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Committee to conduct urgent oversight visit to Alexkor SOC LTD

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By REGINALD KANYANE

13 May 2025 – After a briefing from the Equitable Access Campaign (EAC) on its petition to the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Thoko Didiza, relating to allegations of general accountability failure, maladministration and corruption at Alexkor SOC Ltd, the Portfolio Committee on Minerals and Petroleum Resources has resolved to conduct an urgent oversight visit to Alexkor. The committee said EAC is composed of small-scale marine diamond miners, who were contracted to Alexkor.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Mikateko Mahlaule said the campaign petitioned Didiza, to request Parliament’s intervention in addressing the alleged wrongdoings at Alexkor. Mahlaule said Didza then referred the petition to the committee for further processing.

“We thanked the EAC for bringing Parliament’s attention to all matters of wrongdoing at the company and reiterated the committee’s commitment to getting to the bottom of the allegations. The emergency oversight will form part of the fact-finding mission to deepen our understanding on the complexities around Alexkor’s operation, governance, as well as the alleged maladministration, unfair business practices and corruption.

“An oversight visit to Alexkor has always been on the committee’s programme and given the EAC’s petition, the committee believes that exceptional reasons exist to treat the matter with urgency. Alexkor is a state-owned company established in terms of the Alexkor Limited Act of 1992 as a listed schedule 2 public entity wholly owned by the government, with the Minister of Minerals and Petroleum Resources as the shareholder representative,” he said.

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NA speaker elected as the chairperson of IPU Africa Group of Parliaments

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Picture: The NA speaker, Thoko Didiza

By BAKANG MOKOTO

7 April 2025- The National Assembly speaker, Thoko Didiza, has been elected as the chairperson Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly. Didiza has stressed the importance of using opportunities to network around trade matters, given the prevailing geo-political environment, by member parliaments attending the 150th IPU Assembly.

She is leading South Africa’s Parliamentary delegation to the 150th IPU Assembly and elected as the incoming chairperson of the Africa Group at the Assembly, which is currently underway in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Didiza further said as the chairperson of the Africa Group, her responsibilities will include convening member parliaments.

“The Africa Group boasts more members than any other IPU Group. My election coincides with South Africa’s convening of the P20 Summit in October 2025. Parliament is hosting the Speakers’ Summit (P20) of the G20 national parliaments.

“These P20 Summits play a crucial role in injecting a parliamentary perspective into global governance, raising awareness, building political support for international commitments and ensuring effective implementation at the national level,” she added.

Didiza said this is another platform that IPU representatives from African parliaments should seek to use to end conflict on the continent. She said the Africa Group should be action-driven, with tangible and achievable results.

“South Africa’s chairship of the African Caucus will ensure that parliaments contribute to making Africa the best-performing continent in human rights, democracy, and conflict resolution.

“We look forward to receiving our colleagues at the P20 Summit in Cape Town from 3 to 6 October 2025. These platforms need to be exhaustively utilised to resolve some of the issues, which this gathering consumed,” said Didiza.

She said African Parliaments in the IPU must use membership to these gatherings in a manner that benefits their people, that strengthens inter-state relations and deepens the culture of human rights, democracy and development. Didiza said African parliaments will struggle to develop their nations in situations, where women’s rights, democracy and development are not valued.

“Parliaments need to forge common goals and recommit to end the conflicts. Conflicts in Africa hold the continent back and lead to governance instability. The IPU is a global organisation of national parliaments that facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development worldwide.

“The IPU’s work is concerned with building strong democratic parliaments; advancing gender equality and respect for women’s rights; and protecting and promoting human rights,” she said.

Didiza said for the first time, the Africa Group submitted an emergency item (substantive proposal) proposing a uniform approach to conflict resolution.

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