Durban — IFP veteran Poobalan Govender has been richly rewarded for his decades-long dedication to the party after he was elected as the deputy chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday.
Govender, originally from Chatsworth, in Durban, becomes the first person from opposition parties to take this position, which has been previously occupied by ANC deployees since the first elections of 1994 until the ANC lost its outright majority during the May 29 elections.
Govender’s election to this powerful seat was okayed by the parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU), which include the DA, IFP and the ANC. His election was part of the IFP’s participation’s benefits in the GNU.
Reacting to his election, he said: “As I step into this new role, I am acutely aware of the weighty responsibility that it carries. Our nation faces a formidable challenge.”
In a later interview with the Daily News, Govender said: “This is a huge task that I will grab with both hands and make sure that I contribute meaningfully to the betterment of young democracy.”
Govender will deputise the chairperson of the NCOP, Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, the former Mpumalanga premier.
Govender said the institutions of democracy – including the National Assembly and the NCOP – must be honed so that they would effectively promote democracy.
“As we move forward with this seventh administration, we hope that all the institutions of democracy will be protected so that they better the country,” he said.
Govender is a former member of the KZN portfolio committee on economic development.
“We have always worked to change the plight of the destitute people as the IFP. We will continue to do in all the roles that have been bestowed on us,” said Govender.
He takes over from Sylvia Lucas, who now serves in the National Assembly.
The IFP heaped praise on Govender, saying he wasthe right man for the job.
“We have full confidence in him, and we are confident that he will perform his duties to the best of his abilities,” said the IFP in a statement.
The NCOP and the National Assembly are two houses of Parliament.
The NCOP is tasked with ensuring that provincial interests are taken into account in the national sphere of government.
Meanwhile, the DA’s Dennis Ryder was also elected as the House chairperson responsible for committees.
ANC member Cedric Frolick was elected as the National Assembly House chairperson as well as another IFP MP, Zandile Majozi.
The term of office for all the public office bearers will run for five years until the next general elections set for 2029.
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