Like every other meeting in Parliament, you have a right to attend the meetings of the Standing Committees of the NCOP and all its sittings. When the NCOP is debating a Bill, it also has a duty to take into account what members of the public feel. This means that you have a right to inform any member of the NCOP or its Standing Committees of your views. The word 'Parliament' comes from the word to speak. It is here that the voices of all the people are heard through their elected representatives.
Every voice is important.
Each province's delegation is generally proportionally representative of the political parties that contested the election in that province. The NCOP is presided over by a Chairperson and is assisted by two Deputy Chairpersons. The Chairperson and one of the Deputy Chairpersons are elected from among the permanent delegates for five years. The other Deputy Chairperson is elected for a term of one year, and must be succeeded by a delegate from another province, so that every province is represented in turn.