Commission for Gender Equality: Minister needs to detail department's support for turnaround

A recent report by the Public Protector has revealed that the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) remains characterized by financial impropriety, misconduct and maladministration. Back in 2006, the Public Protector made a number of recommendations on how to address these problems, and it is obvious from this latest report that none of those recommendations have been implemented.  This seriously compromises the quest for greater gender equality. The DA believes that the Commission needs to act powerfully and effectively on behalf of women to alleviate this ongoing problem. A dysfunctional CGE serves no one.

We at the DA believe that the CGE is a vital institution, but only if it works properly. I will be asking the Minister of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities, Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, how she plans to support the turnaround of the CGE given the Public Protector's findings before Parliament's Portfolio Committee.

Among the long list of complaints, the Public Protector's report shows that:

• The CGE's appointment of two joint Chief Executive Officers was "unlawful and irregular and therefore constituted maladministration and improper conduct";

• The appointment of consultant David Setshedi as the interim CEO was "unlawful and irregular", constituting "maladministration and improper conduct";

• The creation of the posts of Executive Director and Personal Assistant in the Office of the Chairperson, Spokesperson for the CGE and Acting National Coordinator of Provinces, was "irregular" and constituted "maladministration";

• There is "no tangible result that can be of any value to the organisation" for the R4 million spent on an organisational diagnostic process;

• No performance assessment took place for the 2009/10 financial year, amounting to "maladministration";

• The policy framework of the CGE is incomplete, outdated and inadequate to properly regulate the affairs of the institution, and the Commission on Gender Equality Act is outdated as many of the provisions are not in line with the Constitution.

These unlawful, irregular and improper procedures threaten the CGE's ability to carry out its mission of promoting, protecting, monitoring and evaluating gender equality in the country. Reports of maladministration within the Commission have dogged it for years. Investigations by the Auditor-General, the Public Protector, and a Parliamentary ad hoc committee have revealed a Chapter 9 institution in crisis, with irregular spending and fruitless and wasteful expenditure being the norm. With only 6 out of 12 commissioners' posts filled, and an "acting" Chairperson at the helm, it is imperative that the CGE fill its leadership board quickly as a first step towards getting back on its feet.

The CGE has been reporting periodically to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities, allowing us to recommend changes that could improve the Commission's performance. But ultimately, the CGE is an independent body, one whose primary utility is that it is not beholden to a particular government's interests. If it is to function as intended, its operations cannot be compromised in any way.

Statement issued by Denise Robinson MP, Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities, October 11 2010

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