Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa is to face some testing questions in Parliament on Wednesday during his first quarterly question session since being sworn in a month ago.
Ramaphosa will tackle six questions from ruling and opposition party MPs in the National Assembly from 15:00 on Wednesday.
The question paper includes questions on land expropriation without compensation, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the legal costs of former president Jacob Zuma's court engagements.
Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane has asked what the full details are of the government's plan to expropriate land without compensation, in light of Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema wants to know how much in total the Presidency spent on the legal costs of former president Zuma since his election in 2009.
African National Congress MP Sahlulele Luzipo has asked what government views as the broad principles that should underpin the pending review of the Mining Charter.
National Freedom Party chief whip Moses Khubisa has asked what steps Ramaphosa will take to restore the public’s confidence in the NPA, following eight years of perceived waning trust in the institution.
ANC MP Lusizo Makhubela-Mashele wants to know what the government's position was on the relationship between the concept of a social compact and creating drivers of economic recovery.
Inkatha Freedom Party MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa has asked whether Ramaphosa will give effect to an 18-year-old Cabinet committee recommendation to amend the Constitution to clarify the role, powers and functions of traditional leaders.
Question sessions in Parliament to former president Zuma were usually frustrating affairs for opposition MPs.
Ramaphosa's office on Wednesday however said the new president was ready to update the nation on the topics at hand.
"Questions for oral reply by the President are one of the mechanisms utilised by Parliament to hold the President and the national executive accountable and are scheduled at least once per quarter," new spokesperson Khusela Diko said.
"The president will update the nation on, among other issues, the social compact and economic recovery, government's land reform programme with expropriation of land without compensation as one of the mechanisms, the process towards the review of the Mining Charter and matters relating to the NPA."
For each question, the MP who sponsored the question is allowed a follow-up question. Three more subsequent, unplanned questions are then allowed on the same topic.
