The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Premier and Finance, chaired by Hon. Nathan Oliphant, has expressed deep disappointment in the provincial government’s failure to ensure gender equity in senior appointments. Of the 12 Heads of Department (HoDs) across the province, only one woman, Ms. Kgomotso Mahlobo (Human Settlements), has been appointed.
This emerged during an oversight meeting with the Office of the Premier on employment equity in senior management, particularly among Deputy Directors-General (DDGs) and HoDs.
“It is unacceptable that a government led by a majority female Executive Council—six women out of ten—has failed to reflect that same commitment in its top administrative appointments,” said Hon. Oliphant.
Furthermore, of the 11 DDG posts who are not HoDs in departments, 8 are filled:
- 6 by African men
- 1 by an African woman
- 1 by an Indian man
Three positions remain vacant.
“This clearly fails to represent the demographics of our province and shows a disturbing lack of urgency in transforming public sector leadership,” added Hon. Oliphant.
Acting Premier MEC Kenetswe Mosenogi acknowledged the disappointing report and noted that the three HoD vacancies remain unfilled.
The committee highlighted that these are the same vacancies where the Office of the Premier failed to adhere and comply with recruitment requirements, which emphasized prioritizing women and persons with disabilities.
Hon. Oliphant warned that appointing more men would contradict both the South African Constitution and the province’s own equity commitments. “This unlawful deviation from the advertised equity priorities would not only be a step backward but a betrayal of efforts to redress historic imbalances,” he said.
The Committee has called for a full employment equity implementation report from all departments and urged the Office of the Premier to reconsider appointments that have not yet been finalized.
“There’s a serious concern that transformation has stalled. Transparency is appreciated, but action is now required to correct this imbalance,” concluded Hon. Oliphant.
The Committee will convene a special follow-up meeting once the requested reports are received.
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