Speaking at a Human Rights commemoration this weekend, ANC President Jacob Zuma said an incoming ANC government would establish a special unit in the Presidency to monitor the performance of ministers and senior public servants.

This is a welcome development, signalling the ANC’s determination to ensure that government responds to the needs of the people. But the challenge of holding ministers and others in the executive to account should not be placed solely in the hands of such a unit.

In fact, one of the chief responsibilities of members of parliament is to ensure that government departments are doing what is required of them. The people who will be elected by the people of South Africa as their representatives on 22 April must act in the interests of these voters by holding the executive to the mandate they have been given.

It means that MPs should not be afraid to challenge ministers whose departments are under performing, even if the ministers are from their own party (and possibly more senior than them in the party hierarchy). This may not always be easy, but they have been entrusted by the people to undertake such a task. The instruction that all ANC MPs will receive from their party is to serve the people and advance their interests.

This does not mean that Parliament should become a platform for grandstanding, where public representatives clamour for media attention. Rather it should be a place where government leaders believe they need to account for the work of their departments.

To play such a role, MPs need to have a thorough understanding of the government departments they are supposed to oversee, and knowledge of that particular field. They need to have adequate research support, and ready access to information from these departments. In its list of candidates, the ANC has sought to achieve a balance between retaining experience and infusing parliament and the legislatures with new blood. This should ensure that the older hands are able to pass on skills and knowledge to the newcomers.

Knowledge and experiences is important in this job. Political courage even more so. But if MPs always remember that they serve in these institutions on behalf of the people, then they will have the confidence they need to always advance their interests.

Editor’s note : Cyril Ramaphosa is former Secretary General of the ANC,Chairman Constitutional Assembly and in recent years become a prominent figure in the business community