The arrangement follows a series of meetings and a decision by speaker Thandi Modise to cancel the leave period MPs would have enjoyed from April 28 to May 4. 

"Parliament will prioritise a schedule of virtual meetings whose scope of oversight relates to government departments driving the Covid-19 response measures," Modise's office said.

It added that "committees will be required to intensify their oversight engagements particularly on Covid-19 matters, and will conduct joint meetings".

A meeting of the chief whips of political parties had agreed on guidelines for the new way of working, said Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip Natasha Mazzone on Friday. 

She added that other key functions of parliament would resume with the help of technology, including questions for written and oral reply. The latter will see virtual group meetings set up for the minister and the particular set of MPs who are directing questions at him.

Parliament's documentation system will also operate as per usual.

Modise's office said it was mindful of the possibility that the national budget tabled in February may be revised to reflect the priorities imposed by the pandemic. 

Any adjustment will be handled though parliament's established process, and Modise said whatever revision may be done, parliament would be watching to ensure that the department of health had the necessary funding to deal with the outbreak.

The draft rules for virtual meetings stipulate that the chair's office will send the agenda and key documents to MPs who sit on the committee at least 24 hours in advance.

The meetings will be recorded both in audio and video, and minutes of the proceedings will be transcribed within three days.

The media will be given dial-in access to portfolio committee meeting sittings, and the public will be able to follow on Youtube.

The media objected strongly when the chairman of the portfolio committee on health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, tried to hold a virtual sitting without the media, in which members were briefed by health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Easter Friday. 

Dhlomo's reasoning was based on concerns that the Zoom video conference system was not secure, though parliamentary meetings are open to the public as a rule.

He was overruled and journalists were allowed to follow the minister's briefing.

Mazzone welcomed the decision to allow parliament to resume its oversight work, saying: "The pandemic is not an excuse for Parliament to shirk its responsibilities."

European countries hard-hit by the pandemic have grappled with the question of whether to recall their legislatures despite being in lockdown.

Next week, Britain's House of Commons will convene with a reduced number of 50 members, with the rest dialling in remotely via Zoom.

African News Agency