A member of the National Assembly has filed a formal notice of motion demanding that the Right Honourable Prime Minister appear before the House to answer questions on matters of national importance, after what the motion describes as attempts to excuse or prevent that appearance in breach of Standing Order 27.

The motion, filed by Hon. Pastor Remaketse Sehlabaka, contends that any resolution or decision purporting to excuse or prevent the Prime Minister’s attendance before the House is “inconsistent with Standing Order 27, and is therefore null and void.”

Standing Order 27 governs the obligation of the Prime Minister to appear before the National Assembly and submit to questioning by members. The motion asserts that this obligation is mandatory in nature and cannot be waived, suspended, or overridden by a simple majority vote.

The notice of motion sets out five operative clauses directed at the House, the Prime Minister, and the Clerk of the National Assembly. It instructs the Clerk to communicate the resolution forthwith upon adoption.

The motion frames non-compliance by the Prime Minister as a breach of parliamentary privilege, going further than a procedural objection to characterise any absence as “an erosion of parliamentary oversight.” That framing is significant: a finding of privilege breach can trigger formal censure proceedings and is not subject to the same simple-majority threshold the motion seeks to invalidate.

The filing comes amid broader tensions between the executive and the legislature over accountability mechanisms. Parliamentary question time for the Prime Minister is enshrined in the Standing Orders as a core instrument through which the House exercises oversight of government. Critics of the executive have argued that repeated deferrals of the Prime Minister’s appearances have rendered that oversight function hollow.

If adopted, the resolution would create a direct order of the House requiring the Prime Minister’s attendance, with the Clerk mandated to serve formal notice. Failure to comply with an order of the House would expose the executive to escalating parliamentary remedies.

Element Detail
Filed by Hon. Pastor Remaketse Sehlabaka, MP
Document type National Assembly Notice of Motion
Governing instrument Standing Order 27, National Assembly Standing Orders
Operative demand PM to appear on next designated PM question day
Clerk’s obligation To communicate the resolution forthwith upon adoption
Characterisation Non-compliance described as breach of privilege and erosion of parliamentary oversight

The Tribune has sought comment from the Prime Minister’s office and the Speaker of the National Assembly. No responses had been received at the time of publication.