Madam Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon members, I rise to present the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Filling of Vacancies in the Commission for Gender Equality, CGE.
On 17 November 2011, the House took a resolution to establish an ad hoc committee to identify suitable candidates for the filling of vacancies in the Commission for Gender Equality. The committee consisted of 12 members made up as follows: 7 ANC members; 2 DA members; 1 Cope member; l IFP member and 1 member from the other parties. The committee was granted powers as contained in Rule 138 of the National Assembly Rules and was ordered to finalise its task and report to the House by no later than 21 February 2012.
The committee held its first meeting on 14 December 2011 and unanimously appointed me as its chairperson. The meeting was attended by all political parties except Cope, that had tendered an apology. The committee agreed to consider all 175 nominees submitted by the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities and to short-list 13 candidates for interviews. However, owing to co-operation between the ANC and the opposition parties, the committee finally short-listed 15 candidates. In preparation for the short-listing meeting scheduled for 11 January 2012, it was agreed that the ANC should short-list 13 candidates and that all opposition parties should jointly short-list 13 candidates.
The meeting also agreed that the criteria for short-listing should consider the following important points: content sharpness; administrative skills; continuity; fresh ideas; vision and passion; academic qualifications; community orientation or activism; the financial skills necessary to oversee the secretariat; and knowledge of constitutional values.
A set of standard questions was developed and agreed to by the committee. Each member of the committee was allocated a set number of questions to ask during the interviews, which were scheduled for 25 and 26 January 2012.
On 11 January 2012 the committee reconvened and all parties were present except the ACDP, which had tendered its apology. However, only the ANC was ready with its short list of candidates. The meeting had to adjourn in order to allow the opposition parties time to consolidate their short list of candidates.
When the meeting later reconvened, and after much deliberation, it was agreed that l5 candidates be short-listed and interviewed. However, one candidate later withdrew and the committee interviewed 14 candidates.
Following the finalisation of the short-listing process and the release of the names of candidates, the committee received a letter from the current acting chairperson of the CGE, Dr Teboho Maitse, in which she questioned the omission of certain nominees from the short list and the inclusion of some.
In response to her allegations, the committee reiterated its commitment to the transparency, the credibility and the legitimacy of the process to nominate members of the commission in accordance with the Constitution and the Commission for Gender Equality Act. The committee also emphasised that it could not exclude any person nominated solely on the basis of allegations that had not yet been adjudicated upon by a competent tribunal.
The committee further received a set of proposed questions from some NGOs who had nominated certain candidates for appointment. The committee refused to consider these questions on the basis that candidates proposed by those NGOs would be unfairly advantaged compared to others.
The committee concluded interviews on 25 January and 26 January 2012. However, during the interviews, only the ANC and the DA participated as all other parties had apologised. After due consideration and after applying its mind, the committee recommended nine candidates as fit and proper persons to effectively and efficiently carry out the mandate of the commission.
The committee is therefore recommending that the House recommends to the President the appointment of the following persons as members of the CGE: Mr Mfanozelwe Shozi, Ms Lulama Nare, Ms Sylvia Desiree Stevens-Maziya, Ms Janine Hicks, Ms Ndileka Eumera Portia Loyilane, Mr Wallace Amos Mgoqi, Ms Nondumiso Maphazi Ranuga, Ms Thoko Mpumlwana, and Prof Amanda Gouws.
Allow me to present a brief profile of each candidate. Mr Mfanozelwe Shozi has a Masters Degree in Community Development and has worked for the CGE for almost nine years. His community involvement includes playing various roles in Adult Basic Education and Training, Abet, and in the co-ordination of development programmes in KwaZulu-Natal. In l998 he was elected as adult educator of the year in KwaZulu-Natal. Through his tireless work he was instrumental in ensuring that the community of Mary Grey got a mobile clinic from the Department of Health.
Ms Lulama Nare has a BA degree and vast experience in management, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity-building. She is involved with the National Economic Development and Labour Council, Nedlac, and the SA Democratic Teachers Union's Gender Unit and is a member of the Presidential Working Group on the global economic crisis. Her community involvement includes working with civil rights organisations to ensure access to essential services by needy communities.
Ms Sylvia Desiree Stevens-Maziya is a social worker by profession with a postgraduate diploma in Development Management and Administration. Currently, she is a community development worker in the National Department of Co-operative Governance. She is a former member of the United Democratic Front, a current member of the SA National Civic Organisation, Sanco, the ANC Women's League, the SACP and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union. She is currently an adviser of the body called "Children in Difficult Circumstances" and has been since 2009.
Ms Janine Hicks has an LLB degree and is a PhD candidate at the University of the Western Cape. She has been a commissioner at the CGE since 2007 and therefore provides continuity. She has published many journals and articles on women's issues. While serving as a commissioner at CGE, she initiated many projects in partnership with Cosatu and other government departments, such as the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Department of Higher Education and Training, and the Presidency, all geared towards gender transformation in the public sector.
Ms Ndileka Eumera Portia Loyilane is a nominee of the Disabled People of South Africa. She has served on the commission for the past five years. She possesses a B.Com degree and is doing a B.Com honours degree. Regarded as the voice of the disabled, she has held several leadership positions, which include being the Chair of the Disabled Women's Development Programme. Currently, she is serving as the Deputy Chairperson of the SA Disability Development Trust. In 2001 she was appointed by the Eastern Cape MEC for Housing to chair the Housing Advisory Panel of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Traditional Affairs.
Mr Wallace Amos Mgoqi is a human rights lawyer and a recipient of the Duma Nokwe Award for Human Rights. He possesses three doctoral degrees from different universities. He has presented various papers on human rights, both nationally and internationally. He has been instrumental in the establishment of the Community Development Trust for the Sokhulu, Mbonombi and Dube communities. Recently he was appointed to conduct an inquiry into the concerns and grievances of students and staff at the Walter Sisulu University.
Ms Nondumiso Maphazi Ranuga is currently studying towards a doctorate in Public Administration with a special focus on good governance. She is currently a special adviser to the premier of the Eastern Cape and was previously the executive mayor of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and a Member of Parliament.
Ms Thoko Mpumlwana is a teacher by profession, with a Masters degree, and has a community service record of more than 30 years. Until recently she served the country as deputy chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa. In the international arena she has served as the chair of the World Council of Churches Women's Committee. Whilst working for the Centre for Scientific Development at the Human Sciences Research Council, she focused on gender equality matters. Currently, she is the chair of the Film and Publication Board.
Prof Amanda Gouws possesses a PhD in Political Science and has received many awards. She is the founder member of the Human Rights Mainstreaming Unit at the University of Stellenbosch and of many other women's movements. Prof Gouws has written many articles and books on gender-related matters. She has delivered papers around women's issues, both nationally and internationally.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank the ANC's study group and the hon Robinson of the DA for their commitment to the mandate given to them by Parliament. They served the committee with dedication and displayed respect for each other's views. I would also like to thank all members who served on the ad hoc committee. They demonstrated a keen interest in selecting the most capable candidates to serve on the CGE. It was a pleasure to chair a committee that could look at issues with such a broad perspective. I thank you. [Applause.]