committee
22 November 2006
The commission welcomes the appointment by Parliament of an ad hoc committee
to review State institutions supporting constitutional democracy. These
institutions were intended to play a critical role in supporting constitutional
democracy and while our young democracy is thriving, it remains fragile in many
respects. The review is accordingly timely and will ensure that any public
debate about these institutions is informed by a proper analysis with regard to
efficiency, effectiveness and impact as opposed to perceptions or anecdotal
data.
The view of the commission is that South Africa's Constitution has set the
highest possible standards for the kind and quality of democracy we wish to
create and we should accordingly, continuously strive to meet those standards.
The commission remains hopeful that the review to be undertaken by the
committee under the chairmanship of Professor Kader Asmal will contribute to
ensuring that the Chapter Nine institutions are able to function maximally.
Professor Asmal and his committee have to submit their report and
recommendations to the National Assembly no later than June 2007. The committee
has subsequently called on the public to make submissions on their observations
about the activities of these bodies.
In order to assist the committee and the general public in this process, the
South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has compiled a comprehensive
catalogue of relevant documentation. These range from reports published by the
commission to those published about the commission. These documents can be
accessed from the home page of the commission's website http://www.sahrc.org.za
For more information please contact:
Lorraine Molepo
Media and Communications Office
Tel: (011) 484 8300 ext 2092
Cell: 072 011 3621
E-mail: Lmolepo@sahrc.org.za
Issued by: South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC)
22 November 2006
