Parliament, Tuesday, 28 August 2018 – The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs today adopted three names to be recommended to the National Assembly for appointment to serve as Commissioners of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
The decision today was taken following a process of public comments on the list, as provided by a panel led by the Chief Justice as per Section 6 (3) of the Electoral Commission Act. Currently, there is one vacancy on the IEC and two vacancies will arise at the end of November.
The following are the three names adopted by the committee:
- Judge Dhayanithie Pillay
- Mr Mosotho Simon Moepya
- Dr Nomsa Praisy Masuku
The committee will recommend to the National Assembly that these three South Africans are fit and proper to serve as Commissioners on the IEC, an important institution of South Africa’s democratic life.
Furthermore, the committee welcomes progress in re-opening the Port Elizabeth and Cape Town Refugee Reception offices. The committee acknowledges that some work has been done and the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office (Perro) is open and dealing with existing applications. However, the committee is of the view that the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Public Works take too long to find office space for government departments.
As a result, the committee has resolved to call the Minister of the Department of Public Works to account for challenges in providing office space. The committee also wants to discuss security challenges at Home Affairs offices across the country.
Furthermore, the committee believes that the staffing at the two refugee centres is inadequate. The Perro currently has 22 officials out of a possible 62 posts and only two of these are Refugee Status Determination Officers. Only 37.5% of posts are filled at the Cape Town office. The committee has urged the department to engage with the National Treasury to ensure that the offices are adequately resourced.
The committee has also received responses from the department on comments made during public hearings on the Immigration Amendment Bill, 2018. The committee has urged the department to continue engagement with stakeholders to strengthen the Bill.
The committee is also unhappy with the number of court cases involving the Department of Home Affairs. “The money that the department uses on litigation should be directed to service delivery and the department should not be run by the courts,” said Mr Hlomani Chauke, the committee Chairperson.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR HLOMANI CHAUKE
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