Candidate’s bad spelling rankles
A CANDIDATE for the position of Electoral Commission of SA commissioner was criticised yesterday for the spelling errors in her CV and not acquainting herself with developments at the IEC.
“I have underlined eight typographical and spelling errors in your CV,” Deputy Public Protector Kevin Malunga told lawyer Motlatjo Josephine Ralefatane.
“I am raising these because it is very important. If you had forwarded your CV to any other place it would have been put aside.”
Malunga read out the errors to Ralefatane, who bowed her head and rubbed her hands together.
The chairman of the panel, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, asked her what had happened at the IEC that resulted in former chairwoman Pansy Tlakula resigning from the commission.
Ralefatane’s explanation of the events left Justice Mogoeng dissatisfied.
“Did you read the judgment of the Electoral Court and know who brought the application?” Justice Mogoeng asked her.
Ralefatane said she had browsed through the judgment.
“I am asking all these because you said the Democratic Alliance brought the application, while the DA did not join other opposition parties in that process.
“You also said Tlakula was removed from her position… she wasn’t. She resigned.”
Ralefatane apologised to Justice Mogoeng.
The position of IEC commissioner became vacant when Tlakula stepped down.
President Jacob Zuma will appoint a new IEC chairperson once the position of commissioner has been filled.
The interviews were to be concluded last night.
ONE BELIEVES South Africa should move towards e-voting. Another believes that voter education should be incorporated into the school curriculum.
And most of them are of the view that the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) has failed to make inroads into rural areas and hasn’t done much to reach the youth – who are the voting majority.
These are some of the views shared by the 14 candidates interviewed for former IEC chairwoman Pansy Tlakula’s job yesterday.
Tlakula resigned in September following controversy over a R320 million lease deal for the IEC’s offices at the Riverside Office Park in Centurion.
A damning report by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found that Tlakula had flouted procurement regulations.
But Tlakula put up a fight, going all the way to the Constitutional Court to try to clear her name after the Treasury made similar findings to Madonsela and an Electoral Court ruling for her removal from office.
The lease deal saga was brought to the fore again yesterday, with panellists asking the 14 candidates to highlight their key priority areas if given the green light to fill Tlakula’s shoes.
Cleaning up the IEC’s image was Professor Mzamo Gumbi’s main area of concern “in light of the latest developments”.
He also believes that South Africa should start moving towards e-voting like Namibia, as that would address instances where people vote multiple times.
Gumbi and advocate Ngwanamathiba Khutsoane said voter education should be prioritised, not left for the time around the elections.
Khutsoane said: “I think that at some point it will have to be incorporated into the school curriculum.”
Candidate Janet Love’s fears centred on “concerns with bandwidth and the security of the internet within the South African context”.
The most questioned person was Vuma Mashinini, a project management adviser in President Jacob Zuma’s office.
His close working relationship with Zuma would create perceptions that his independence would be compromised, the panel said.
Mashinini insisted his was a non-political role, and that “it will be prejudicial to my rights to be disqualified”.
“I believe I have the attributes that are required,” he said.
Also questioned on her close ties with the ANC was Rebecca Madipoane Gungubele, wife of Ekurhuleni mayor Mondli Gungubele.
Chaired by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, the panel included Madonsela’s deputy, advocate Kevin Malunga, SA Human Rights Commission chairman Lawrence Mushwana and Commission on Gender Equality chairman Mfanozelwe Shozi.