20 February 2006
The Governing Council leading the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in
South Africa held its fifth meeting in Gauteng this past weekend (18 February
2006) and made a number of important decisions as it readies itself for the
compilation of our Country Self-Assessment Report over the next two months.
The Governing Council decided that the compilation of the Country
Self-Assessment Report be done at four seminars, one for each thematic area.
The seminars should take place on 20, 22, 23 and 24 March 2006.
The Governing Council also approved the appointment of 20 organisations as
Research Partners who will participate in the seminars. The council decided
that Parliamentary representatives and specially selected experts should also
be invited to participate in the seminars.
The important decisions taken also include the appointment of four Technical
Support Agencies to collate all the submissions received into comprehensive
Technical Reports, to record the seminar proceedings and assist with the
development of draft text for the reports.
The institutions approved to assist with the development of the draft
Country Self-Assessment Report as Technical Support Agencies are:
* The Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), to focus on Democracy
and Good Political Governance;
* The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), to focus on
Economic Governance and Management;
* The African Institute for Corporate Citizenship (AICC), to focus on Corporate
Governance; and
* The Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI), to focus on Socio
Economic Development.
The Governing Council also considered and approved the Research
Sub-Committeeâs proposal that the Auditor-General and the Human Sciences
Research Council (HSRC) be contracted to provide backstopping and quality
assurance services and other support to the Technical Support Agencies working
on the economic and social themes respectively. This is part of the Councilâs
strategy to ensure that the Country Self-Assessment Report is excellent and
achieves its intended objectives.
A list of submissions was provided to the Governing Council, including
Parliament's APRM report, handed over to Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi as
the Focal Point and Chairperson of the APRM Governing Council, on 16 February
2006.
Parliament's report is based on its extensive consultations with stakeholder
groups and public hearings across the country.
Parliamentâs sterling performance is an innovation for the APRM that has
enriched the mechanism and also increased public awareness of the national
legislatureâs critical role in governance.
Other Governing Council members also provided reports on the processes
undertaken in provinces and by civil society sectors.
It was further agreed during the meeting that the labour sector would host
special consultations amongst rural workers during the second week of March to
ensure that the views of people living in rural areas are articulated.
The 30 member Council, which consists of ten representatives from government
and 20 from civil society, is strongly committed to a participatory APRM
process and its meeting reflected on the challenges inherent in the
approach.
It was agreed that while the date for submissions has passed, a final drive
to encourage late submissions must be undertaken. The deadline for submissions
has been extended to 10 March 2006.
Since the APRM process started in September 2005, individuals, organisations
and other structures have been invited to respond to the questions in the APRM
questionnaire.
These contributions must now all be compiled into a single national report
that assesses the state of governance in South Africa. The report will also
propose a programme of action for improving governance in our country.
For more information, please contact: Clayson Monyela
Tel: 012 314 7167
Cell: 082 806 7405
Email: claysonm@dpsa.gov.za
Issued by: Ministry of Public Service and Administration
20 February 2006
