ANC confident committee will ‘nominate suitable candidate to replace Madonsela’
The African National Congress (ANC) has named the six members of Parliament it is entrusting to nominate a suitable candidate to replace Thuli Madonsela as the new public protector.
The National Assembly had on Tuesday “resolved to establish an ad hoc committee”‚ which‚ the ANC’s chief whip said‚ will put forward someone who “will continue with the institution’s work of ensuring good governance and strengthening our constitutional democracy”.
“The current public protector’s seven year term of office is‚ in line with the Public Protector Act‚ expiring in October 2016. In terms of Section 183 of the Constitution‚ the Public Protector is appointed for a non-renewable period of seven years.”
The Democratic Alliance (DA) had on Tuesday framed the ANC chief whip’s draft resolution as an attempt at cadre deployment.
The opposition party’s David Maynier MP @DavidMaynier tweeted a photo of a parliamentary agenda with the comment: “Today the process to replace @ThuliMadonsela3 with a loyal @MYANC cadre begins in @ParliamentofRSA!”
This 10-person ah hoc committee will consist of six ANC councillors‚ two from the DA‚ one Economic Freedom Fighters representative and two from other parties.
The ANC MPs appointed to the committee are Makhosi Khoza‚ Thomas Bongo‚ Amos Masondo‚ Nic Koornhof‚ Grace Tseke and Refilwe Mothapo‚ with Patric Maesela serving as an alternate member.
The ANC said that‚ according to the act‚ the public protector “must be a South African citizen who is a fit and proper person to hold such office‚ and who:
- “Is a Judge of the High Court; or
- “Is admitted as an advocate or an attorney and has‚ for a cumulative period of at least 10 years after being admitted‚ practised as an advocate or an attorney; or
- “Is qualified to be admitted as an advocate or an attorney and has‚ for a cumulative period of at least 10 years after having qualified‚ lectured in law at a university; or
- “Has specialised knowledge of or experience‚ for a cumulative period of at least 10 years‚ in the administration of justice‚ public administration or public finance; or
- “Has acquired any combination of experience mentioned above for a cumulative period of at least 10 years.” The ad hoc committee must report to Parliament by August 31.
In February‚ Corruption Watch launched a campaign to ensure that Madonsela’s replacement as public protector upholds the office as a “cornerstone of South Africa’s democracy”.
That came ahead of the Constitutional Court hearing argument from the EFF and the DA in connection with Madonsela’s report on upgrades to President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead.
The court ruled that Zuma had failed to uphold his constitutional obligations‚ in a judgment that was widely seen as a vindication for the public protector.
Corruption Watch at the time pointed out that Madonsela – who it said “has earned widespread respect for her commitment to tackling corruption‚ and to holding government accountable…without fear or favour” - ends her term on October 19.
The watchdog’s Bua Mzansi is a “nationwide public awareness and participation campaign to highlight and monitor the appointment process and ensure that it is conducted in a transparent manner and is influenced by public opinion”.
Bua Mzansi is Sesotho for “speak up South Africa”.
“This campaign encourages the public to take an active part in nominating and voting for suitable candidates‚ creating avenues for vigorous public engagement and dialogue about the role of the public protector‚ while also exploring new ways of engaging and amplifying the public voice‚” Corruption Watch said.
“Bua Mzansi aims to ensure that every step of the appointment process takes place in the public spotlight to safeguard the independence and integrity of the Office of the Public Protector and that public voice is influential in making the appointment of the leader of an institution precisely charged with protecting and advancing the interests of the public.”