Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu on Tuesday said that South Africa’s ongoing participation in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) would see it champion the interests of citizens as he announced the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the South African Peer Review Mechanism National Governing Council (NGC).

As the APRM Focal Point for South Africa, Mchunu announced the appointment of Thulani Tshefuta as NGC chairperson and Magdalene Moonsamy as deputy chairperson.

The APRM is an African self-monitoring mechanism that aims to foster good governance on the continent, through a systematic peer learning and self-assessment mechanism. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa assumed the chairship of the African Peer Review Forum early this year, taking over from the Republic of Chad.

South Africa is also the chairperson of the Committee of Focal Points of the APRM programme, a continental ministerial platform for all 40 APRM participating member States.

The NGC structure ensures the functioning and success of the country’s participation in the APRM, as it mobilises and ensures the participation of all stakeholders and citizens in general in APRM processes.

Tshefuta holds a number of postgraduate qualifications from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), GIBS and Crammer Graduate School of Business at Rollins University in the US. He is currently studying towards a Master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation at Wits.

Moonsamy, an admitted attorney, is the founder of the Women’s Justice Foundation and an activist for human, women’s, and LGBTI rights.

The NGC formally adopted the Charter of the South African APRM NGC during a virtual meeting last week.

The NGC will also engage on the draft National Road Map, which details activities to be undertaken in the NGC’s 2020/21 financial year with the aim of producing the first draft of the National Country Review Report. 

Mchunu said with the adoption of the Charter and the election of the chairperson and deputy chairperson, the NGC now had a vital role to play in achieving the aspirations captured in its Road Map.

“The vision of the APRM is the full actualisation of transformative leadership and practice for the Africa we all want. South Africa’s involvement and participation in the APRM is of great benefit to the country as a whole. The activities conducted within the APRM and the investigations which will be carried out will assist South Africa in attaining the goals as per the National Development Plan 2030 in the elimination of poverty, the creation of employment opportunities through faster economic growth as well as the building of a capable and ethical State, to name a few,” said Mchunu.

He added that the APRM, through the NGC, would help civil society ensure accountability from government and its departments, including State-owned enterprises.