Lobamba – Government ministries have been given until Monday next week to table their first-quarter performance reports before Parliament.
The House of Assembly Speaker Jabulani Mabuza issued the directive during Wednesday’s sitting of the House of Assembly after noting that several ministries were yet to submit the reports, which are required to enable Parliament to assess government performance during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
This, Mabuza asserted that legislators cannot effectively hold ministries to account without the documents.
The Speaker urged all ministers, including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, to work closely with their principal secretaries to ensure the reports are submitted before the deadline.
“We need these reports before the House so that Members can debate the performance of ministries,” Mabuza said.
The reports are expected to provide Parliament with a detailed account of each ministry’s implementation of government programmes, expenditure against approved budgets and progress made towards achieving planned targets.
Their submission will pave the way for ministry-by-ministry debates, during which Members of Parliament are expected to interrogate the effectiveness of government programmes, identify shortcomings and propose measures to improve service delivery.
The quarterly performance reports are regarded as one of Parliament’s key oversight tools, allowing legislators to measure whether ministries are delivering on promises made to the public and whether taxpayers’ money is being spent as intended.
Failure by ministries to submit the reports on time could delay parliamentary scrutiny of government performance, undermining efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability in the public sector.
The Speaker stressed that Parliament’s oversight role depends on the timely submission of such reports, saying Members must be equipped with the necessary information to evaluate ministries and ensure they remain accountable for the delivery of public services.
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