Towards the end of 2018, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, tabled before Cabinet the appointment of new members of the Defence Force Service Commission (DFSC) whose term had come to an end and the reappointment of those still in service.
The DFSC was established in 2009. The mandate of the Commission is to, among others, conduct research and make recommendations for improvement regarding remuneration and the conditions of service of members of the South African National Defence Force. Its establishment was in terms of Section 62 A of the Defence Act 2002.
As per Section 62A (2) of the Defence Act, 2002, the Commission shall consist of no less than eight and no more than ten members appointed by the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans. Furthermore, in line with Section 62F of the Act, the Commission must meet at least twice a year and six members are required to form a quorum for a meeting. However, since the 30th of September 2018, there were seven vacancies on the Commission as a result of the expiry of the five-year term of the first members appointed to the permanent Commission. As a result, the Commission no longer formed a quorum. Consequently, an in-depth process was then embarked upon to fill the vacancies.
The following members were appointed to the Nominations Committee as prescribed by Section 62 C of the Act: Hon D.D Gamede, MP (Chairperson), Lt Gen (ret) J.T Nkonyane, Maj Gen (ret) C.A Matsers, Ms. N Mafu and Ms. B Rottman. Advertisements in two national newspapers and the Government Gazette were placed, as per the requirements of Section 62C (1) of the Act, and a total of seventy nominations were received. Final nominations by the Nominations Committee were then presented as recommendations to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, in accordance with the prescripts of the Act on the 9th of October 2018.
In accordance with Section 62C (7) of the Defence Act, the following four candidates were finally chosen to fill the vacancies on the Commission:
- Dr. Siphelele Zulu: Dr Zulu is currently the Executive Director for Human Resources at the University of KwaZulu Natal. He holds a PhD in Human Resource Management from the University of KwaZulu Natal and has held various senior positions within the field of Human Resource Management.
- Dr. Ziyaad Essop: Dr Essop is a medical doctor. He recently completed an MBA at the University of Stellenbosch. Dr Essop has served for 11 years in the South African Military Health Services at 2 Military Hospital in Cape Town until the expiry of his contract in June 2018. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Aquarius Healthcare.
- Advocate Nokuzola Gloria Khumalo: Advocate Khumalo has over 15 years of experience as a senior Human Resource Manager. She is currently employed as Human Resource Manager at AME Africa Healthcare (Pty) Ltd, which operates IT Solutions at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital. Advocate Khumalo has extensive experience in matters of law and human resources.
- Mr Ian Hugh Robertson: Mr Robertson has served on the permanent Defence Force Service Commission for a period of five years until his contract expired on the 30th of September 2018. Section 62C (9) provides for the reappointment of a member to the Commission. Mr Robertson brings with him extensive experience within the security cluster and was the Director for Stakeholder Management and Cooperative Governance in the Gauteng Department of Community Safety until his retirement.
All four appointments will be on part-time basis for a period not exceeding five years, effective from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023. Only members not in the full-time employ of the State will receive remuneration. Following the appointment of the four members and the fact that there will only be two females amongst the Commissioners, a decision has been taken to further advertise for the nomination of females for the remaining three vacancies.
“The appointment of the new commissioners is undoubtedly a step in the right direction and will be of great assistance to the work of the Commission, especially when one considers the amount of work ahead of them. Fortunately, the other members who have been with the DFSC for longer will ensure that there is continuity in the work of the Commission because so much was done and achieved by the previous DFSC,” said Minister Mapisa-Nqakula.
Enquiries:
Joy Nonzukiso Peter
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