Parliament should be more rigorous in how it drafts legislation and applies its rules and procedures, speaker Thoko Didiza said on Thursday.Tabling parliament’s R6.3bn budget for the 2026/27 financial year, Didiza said the National Assembly cannot afford to repeat the constitutional failures that led to the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the section 89 impeachment process against President Cyril Ramaphosa.Didiza said parliament has to strengthen its law-making, oversight and accountability functions, particularly after recent court rulings found some parliamentary rules and procedures inconsistent with the constitution.“The recent ConCourt judgment has found that some of our rules are not consistent with the constitution and therefore require review and amendment,” Didiza said.Parliament is at the centre of a legal and political row after it voted not to impeach Ramaphosa after the Phala Phala farm scandal. This was despite a recommendation by an independent panel it had commissioned.Nullifying the vote, chief justice Mandisa Maya ordered the National Assembly to relook its rules on impeachment, which she said are at odds with the constitution.An impeachment committee has since been constituted and will meet for the first time next week to elect a chair.Efforts are also afoot to align the impeachment rules with the constitution.FF Plus leader Corné Mulder said the section 89 impeachment committee process will be one of parliament’s most important constitutional tests.“The public is scrutinising each and every act that comes from parliament,” Mulder said. “You cannot go there and try to play simplistic party political preferences.”Mulder said parliament’s role is to seek the truth and act within the confines of the law and the constitution.UDM MP Lawrence Kwankwa accused parliament of ignoring earlier warnings about the handling of the impeachment process. “In light of the ConCourt judgment, the chickens have come home to roost,” he said.Kwankwa said parliament has to ensure “due process is followed” during the impeachment committee proceedings to avoid repeating constitutional breaches.ActionSA MP Lerato Ngobeni said parliament failed to hold the executive accountable because political parties prioritised loyalty over constitutional obligations.‘Constitution first’“The Constitutional Court itself had to remind parliament during the section 89 matter that its duty is to the constitution first and not to political parties,” Ngobeni said.“Parliament must fear the people again.”MK MP Des van Rooyen argued that parliament’s financial dependence on the executive undermines its ability to conduct effective oversight.He said parliament remains dependent on the National Treasury and the executive for resources despite being constitutionally required to oversee government.“How can we be robust as MPs on executive performance when we still depend on the Treasury to fund our oversight and accountability programmes?” Van Rooyen asked.He said the MK party proposed an “independent parliamentary roadmap” to strengthen parliament’s financial autonomy.DA MP Michéle Clarke criticised parliament’s administration, saying the institution faces serious accountability failures, underspending and governance concerns.She questioned delays in the parliamentary rebuilding project and demanded answers on expenditure, legal disputes and governance processes in parliament.Didiza said the R6.3bn allocation included R3.3bn from the National Treasury as well as rebuilding funds and parliament’s own revenue streams.She said parliament completed 210 offices and three committee rooms as part of the rebuilding project, which remained on track for completion in January 2027.“We are only now considering a mid-year report for the 2025/26 financial year halfway through the 2026/27 financial year,” Clarke said.“That is not a minor delay. It is a collapse of oversight.”EFF MP Omphile Maotwe said the party rejects the budget because it has lost confidence in parliament’s leadership and administration.Maotwe accused parliament’s leadership of failing to act against alleged corruption linked to the rebuilding project and criticised the handling of the secretary to parliament’s remuneration.“The collapse of the effectiveness of this seventh parliament is clear for everyone to see,” Maotwe said.IFP MP Nhlanhla Hadebe said parliament’s effectiveness directly affects governance in South Africa and warned that increased funding has to translate into measurable oversight outcomes.He also supported efforts to establish an independent parliamentary funding model.ACDP MP Steve Swart said the constitutional court reminded parliament that oversight is “not a political choice” but a constitutional obligation.Swart said corruption continues to undermine public trust despite the work of oversight institutions and law enforcement agencies.ANC MP Nobuhle Nkabane defended the budget, saying parliament remains central to South Africa’s constitutional democracy and democratic transformation.“This budget vote is not merely about allocating funds; it is about resourcing the very heart of our constitutional democracy,” Nkabane said.PA MP Ashley Sauls supported the budget but called on parliament to address wage disparities and promotion concerns affecting parliamentary protection services staff.