Thoko Didiza has today been elected by the members of the Government of National Unity (GNU) as the Speaker of the National Assembly during the first sitting of the seventh administration.
Accepting her nomination, Didiza who was heading the ministry of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development of South Africa said her role is to conduct the debates in parliament within the rules in a manner that is fair.
“I commit that I will, working with the team in the Speaker’s Office together with the House Chairperson that will be duly elected do exactly that. I also commit that I will all the parties led by their whips and their representatives to make sure that we conduct the business of this parliament in a manner that indeed reflects the will of the people of South Africa, ” said Didiza.
Didiza has served as one of three house chairpersons between 2014 and 2019 during the term of the fifth administration.
She is the sixth women to occupy the position since the dawn of democracy.