The appointment of the first Children’s Commissioner, in not
only the Western Cape but South Africa, looks set to happen within the first
quarter of this new decade.
Reading the cover letters of the 15 shortlisted candidates makes
me wonder if the process was not rushed to complete, losing focus of the
objective.
The successful candidate will be responsible for protecting
and promoting the interest of children to ensuring that crime and its impact on
children and issues of child safety are address. As well as monitor,
investigate, research and lobby issues and policy that impact children.
Each of the 15 candidates are qualified for the position. While
it gives peace of mind it is also sad that 53% of the shortlisted candidates come
from the legal fraternity.
One should keep in mind that the Children’s Commissioner will
not be writing or amending any legislation. Anyone can make legislative suggestions,
from the aunty running a soup kitchen to the aunty with a creche in her
backyard.
The individual tasked with advocating children’s rights will
only enforce but should be someone who will speak and raise all aspects of
being a child, those in the city; Cape Flats; rural streets and on our farms.
There are alarming incidents involving children, in the
Western Cape, from child exploitation to abduction and rape and murder. The successful
candidate should thus be someone who can console a family to walking the gravel
roads, protesting in the streets and engaging with stakeholders from all walks
of live. Most importantly be someone who can go sit in the park with a 4-year-old
with a lolly and have that child open to him or her.
As members of the Standing Committee on Social Development of
the Western Cape Provincial Parliament prepare for one-on-one interviews, it is
a good time to first go back to the drawing board.
The honourable members should ask themselves (and their caucuses)
what do they hope and aim to achieve and what and how should the Children’s
Commissioner do this. This should guide the members of the provincial parliament
on who would be a suitable candidate to be the first Children’s Commissioner.
In summary the Children’s Commissioner is responsible for
ensuring the needs and interest of all children in the province are met. All
shortlisted candidates already in their own right qualify.
Question is whether
they meet the objective of the office with their expertise.
Click on name of shortlisted candidates for their biographies:
- Carol Bower
- Christina Nomdo
- Eric Atmore
- Gabriela McKellar
- Ingrid Lestrade
- Joy van der Heyde
- Lizelle Africa
- Lydia-Anne Plaatjies
- Lucas Muntingh
- Marlene Le Roux
- Mirinda Gaum
- Naqita Alexander
- Samantha Albertyn
- Zakira Mohamed
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