NCOP to elect deputy chairperson as it gets back to business

CAPE TOWN - It's back to business for the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), which continues the election of more presiding officers when it meets later on Thursday.

The NCOP failed to elect a deputy chairperson at the first sitting of Parliament and is expected to choose chairperson Refilwe Mtsweni Tsipane's deputy either from the African National Congress (ANC) or one of its unity partners.

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The upper house of Parliament will also hold its first programme committee meeting Thursday to put together its agenda for the new term.

The NCOP will hold its second sitting on Thursday to take care of unfinished business and elect chairperson Refilwe Mtsweni Tsipane's deputy.

Before that, the programme committee will first meet to plan the way forward for the NCOP.

On Wednesday, Mtsweni Tsipane also chaired her first rules committee meeting as it plans to review its rules to take into account the GNU.

"Definitely we will then accordingly refer these rules to the review committee to factor in the current discourse as it is."

The National Assembly, meanwhile, will hold its first programme committee meeting on Friday where the official opening of Parliament will be considered.