Awaiting deliberations

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice convened yesterday, 19 October. It was initially expected that this meeting would have on the agenda the deliberations of shortlisted SAHRC Commissioners interviews. Eagerly, armed with hard copies of SAFF comment on our considered opinions of who would be best equipped and skilled to lead and serve this august institution, I finally made it to Committee Room 425 (the venue had been changed at the last moment and so this involved having to stand yet again in a long queue and obtaining a second security clearance). Finally I found the room and meeting. The agenda was not as I had expected. It was to be firstly, the Annual Report of the Public Protector, followed by Annual Report of the Legal Aid Board and then finally, the Annual Report of the SAHRC. There was to be no deliberations. However I stayed, interested to see who from SAHRC would present the Annual Report and measure the temperature of the interrogations.

Having squeezed in at the last moment and having grabbed the last remaining chair, I survived the overcrowding, heat and lack of available water, to listen to Committee Members during interrogation giving useful hints by way of questions to the new PP on how to handle her Portfolio. The most useful may have been the fact that these PP Reports that are issued should not have these ridiculous titles such as "State Capture". Because, you see, these are lawyers drafting these reports, these are serious texts that should have serious titles. And on top of this, what kind of impression does this give to our citizens? The new PP, Busisiwe Mkhwebane remained dignified and unruffled, as she assured the Committee that this particular Report was in her safe in her office. I confess that I am no fashion guru, and being mindful of commenting on the appearance of women in Parliament, I venture to say that our new PP looked magnificent in her red dress and matching shoes. I am sure that I saw Committee Members, Floyd Shivambu and Sam Matiase casting admiring glances in her direction.

The Legal Aid Board arrived for their 12h00 appointment but were kept waiting till until 13h00 before coming before the Committee. Members of the SAHRC began arriving shortly before 14h00, the Acting CEO together with our lone ranger Commissioner Ameermia, the last standing Commissioner that now leads alone at the helm of the SAHRC. Besides having the 3rd consecutive unqualified audit, the SAHRC Acting CEO took us through the stats of 89% finalization of cases, 160 engagements with stakeholders, production of annual research outputs, hosting of regional LGBTI conference and more reports, some litigation and more reports. The Committee made a swift meal of it. As it was succinctly put by one Committee member to SAHRC lone ranger "When the new Commissioners are appointed, you take all of them to the Kruger Park for 2 weeks and you have a serious strategy meeting. Use this time to redefine what exactly the SAHRC is and what its role is". Much was quipped about SAHRC Commissioners spending too much time worrying about international affairs while the home fires burned, sorry I mean the schools and universities, 39 people so far dying in the Esidimeni crisis and children with disabilities not having access to education. And just why do they duplicate work of the Gender Commission and the Commission for Rights of Cultural, Religious & Linguistic Communities (CRL Commission) It was even alleged the most SA's do not even know of the SAHRC existence. (not so fair as the Legal Aid Board had been able to boast of 64 satellite Justice Centers just moments before) It was diplomatically viscous and when I entered a crowded lift with one member of the Committee pretty mush squashed in the middle, it was no circle of love. The temperature had been hot and stuffy.

I, mindful of my commitment to SAFF to monitor the appointment process, used the day to personally hand over a hard copy of our recommendations to the Committee and like any activist worth her salt, visited other Portfolio meetings to test if the food catering was up to scratch and delivering value for our tax payers money.