Parliament will debate the escalating conflict in the Middle East on March 19 after a request by Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane.
The Speaker agreed to the request after Bosa’s call for parliament to examine the implications of the recent US attack on Iran and the broader regional tensions for South Africa. The debate is expected to focus on the potential impact on South Africa’s foreign policy position, the safety of South African citizens in the region and the economic consequences linked to disruptions in global oil markets.
Read: War in Iran scuppers SA’s GDP forecasts
President Cyril Ramaphosa did not address the Middle East conflict during Thursday’s oral question session in the National Assembly.
Instead, the president responded to a range of questions from MPs on issues including the criminal justice system, South Africa’s water crisis and the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI).
Ramaphosa defended his decision not to release the interim report of a commission investigating alleged criminality and political interference in the criminal justice system, saying publishing the document prematurely could compromise investigations and unfairly implicate individuals.
He was responding to a question from ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli about why the interim report of the Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System had not been made public.
The president said the interim report, which he received on December 17 2025, contained referrals where the commission had identified prima facie evidence of wrongdoing but its work remained incomplete.
“Beyond the referrals and recommendations that I have made public, it would be unfair to witnesses whose testimony is not complete or individuals against whom the commission has not made prima facie findings to publicise information at this stage,” Ramaphosa said.
He warned that releasing the report prematurely could “jeopardise investigations and lines of questioning of the commission”.
The commission referred several matters to authorities for criminal investigation and recommended urgent prosecutorial decisions where appropriate. It also advised that disciplinary action be considered against officials in law enforcement and intelligence agencies where preliminary evidence of wrongdoing had emerged.
Ramaphosa said he had directed the minister of police and the national commissioner of the South African Police Service to establish a special investigations task team to pursue cases identified by the commission.
He said the report would be released once the commission had completed its work, subject to legal considerations.
Responding to a question from DA chief whip George Michalakis on South Africa’s worsening water crisis, Ramaphosa said a National Water Crisis Committee would be established by the end of March as part of a co-ordinated national intervention.
He acknowledged that the crisis was largely rooted in failures at municipal level. “Maintenance of municipal water and sanitation infrastructure has been neglected in many municipalities over decades,” he said.
Ramaphosa said corruption, infrastructure theft, illegal connections and poor revenue management had compounded the problem.
National government intervention
He said the national government would use powers contained in the constitution, the National Water Act and the Water Services Act to intervene where municipalities fail to meet their obligations. This could include criminal charges against municipal managers who contravene the National Water Act and, in some cases, the national government assuming responsibility for water services.
Ramaphosa also highlighted the Metro Trading Services Reform programme, a R54bn performance-based incentive scheme over six years aimed at improving electricity, water and waste services in the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities.
EFF leader Julius Malema also questioned the president on the rollout of the NHI system and whether the country’s health system would be ready.
Ramaphosa said the health department was implementing systems required for the scheme, including a patient registration system linked to the Home Affairs population register and the rollout of electronic medical records across more than 3,500 public health facilities over the next 15 months.
However, he confirmed that the government had undertaken not to proclaim sections of the NHI Act until the Constitutional Court had ruled on pending legal challenges.
“The NHI aims to establish a single national fund that will allow for the equitable purchasing of health services from public and private healthcare providers,” he said.
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