Parliament set to restart appointment process of 5 new leaders to gender commission
Last week, the country’s highest court suspended for a year the validity of five CGE appointments including the chair and deputy chairperson made during the previous administration.
FILE: The giant dome is being used as a temporary chamber of the South African National Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa. Picture: Supplied/@ParliamentofRSA
CAPE TOWN - Parliament is set to restart the process to appoint five new commissioners to the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) as soon as next month.
It follows Friday’s damning Constitutional Court ruling that set aside the 2023 appointments due to inadequate public participation.
This was challenged by non-governmental agency Corruption Watch.
On Tuesday, the chairperson of the Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities - Liezl van der Merwe - said the committee has already moved to rectify the shortcomings identified by the court.
Last week, the country’s highest court suspended for a year the validity of five CGE appointments including the chair and deputy chairperson made during the previous administration.
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Van der Merwe envisions advertising for new nominations by October.
“We will possibly publish the shortlisted candidates over the December - January period, allowing for a six-week public participation process. This will be followed by interviews in February, allowing us to finalise the process, hopefully in March.”
Van der Merwe said shortcomings identified by the court, including publishing adequate information about hopeful candidates, were remedied during the recent recruitment for the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
“As a portfolio committee we are truly committed to meaningful public participation, and we will simply copy the model we implemented during the NYDA board recruitment process and use the same for the next CGE recruitment process. “
The affected CGE commissioners have served less than two-and-a-half years of their five-year term, but will not be excluded from reapplying for their jobs.