CAPE TOWN, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, a party member of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), was elected as the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), the upper house of parliament, of South Africa on Saturday.
Mtshweni-Tsipane, the former premier of Mpumalanga province, was elected unopposed at the Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC) in the first sitting of the NCOP since the country's general elections in May.
In the sitting presided over by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, 54 permanent delegates representing South Africa's nine provinces were sworn in.
Speaking shortly after her election, Mtshweni-Tsipane said the NCOP must collectively strive to work cooperatively with all stakeholders to address the developmental challenges of the nation.
"As we begin with the task of the seventh parliament, the NCOP must foster and maintain a dynamic relationship with provinces, particularly the provincial legislatures, as well as the communities that we serve," said the newly-elected chairperson.
"The NCOP will need to address the uncertainty which is rife around the status of intergovernmental relations, decisions and recommendations," she said. "We must also address issues relating to who takes responsibility for the follow up of recommendations and key executive undertakings while addressing the lack of horizontal integration between the activities of various government departments."
In the Saturday sitting, Kenneth Mmoiemang, who is a member of the Northern Cape provincial delegation, was also elected unopposed as the Chief Whip of the NCOP.
The election of the deputy chairpersons of the NCOP will take place at a later date.
The NCOP consists of 54 permanent members and 36 special delegates and aims to represent provincial interests in the national sphere of government.
Delegations consist of 10 representatives from each province and the NCOP must have a mandate from the provinces before it can make certain decisions.
In the first sitting of the National Assembly (NA) on Friday, new members of parliament took the oath and affirmation. The NA session also saw the election of Speaker Thoko Didiza and Deputy Speaker Annelie Lotriet, and the re-election of President Cyril Ramaphosa. ■