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Deputy Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke. Photo: Twitter)
The appointment of Deputy Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke as the new Attorney General as of December 1 continues the tradition of the Deputy taking on that role. But Maluleke makes history as the first woman recommended for the job.
In one of those rare moments of parliamentary unity, the Deputy Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke was recommended to replace the outgoing Auditor General, Kimi Makwetu, whose seven-year term ends on November 30.
That recommendation now must go to the House for final adoption, but since it was a unanimous decision across party political divisions, no surprises are expected.
It was a short meeting on Tuesday when the ad-hoc committee set up to find the next Auditor General chaired by ANC deputy Nokuzola Tolashe met again after waiting about six weeks for the State Security Agency to review the results.
It is up to the ANC deputy, Sifiso Buthelezi, also chairman of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, to begin what was effectively a final nomination process of all against all.
“I will only talk about the candidate who was the best of the best, a candidate who meets all the requirements. We are looking for a candidate who qualifies to be Auditor General of South Africa, ”said Buthelezi.
And that person was the Deputy Auditor General, Between Maluleke.
Freedom Front Plus MP Wouter Wessels agreed, as did DA MP Jan de Villiers.
“In my opinion, the interview process was fair, transparent and above suspicion … I am pleased to support Ms. Maluleke,” said De Villiers.
IFP head whip Narend Singh agreed, saying that “the only candidate who stands out for her experience, leading by example … is Between Maluleke ”.
Makwetu in a statement Tuesday congratulated Maluleke on her nomination as successor.
“This position requires a delicate balance between competing priorities. The elected candidate does not lack appreciation for this and the steady hand necessary to lead the organization into the future …
“I have no doubt that Tsakani, as a recommended candidate, is well equipped to fulfill the functions for the AG position as set out in the Public Audit Law,” said Makwetu.
The recommendation came after six candidates were interviewed for 10 hours in late August, even dealing with a series of continuous power outages as the interviews unfolded in physical reality with all of the Covid-19 health and safety protocols. observed..
The fact that South Africa has a woman in the Auditor General’s office is seen as an important milestone. Maluleke has a strong track record, having joined the Office of the Auditor General in 2012 before rising through the ranks. He also chaired the executive committee of the Auditor’s Office.
With more than 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors, Maluleke would become Auditor General at a time when the office has at its disposal greater powers to act against persistent embezzlement, including personal cost orders against accountants in all spheres of government.
It’s also a pressurized time given the Covid-19 bid corruption saga, which has the Auditor General conducting audits and verifications in real time.
The Auditor General is one of the institutions that support democracy established in Chapter 9 of the Constitution. The AG has a non-renewable term of between five and 10 years, in accordance with Section 189.
The tradition since the Thabo Mbeki administration has been to appoint the Auditor General for a non-renewable term of seven years. The tradition of the deputy taking office dates back to Shauket Fakie taking office in 1999 after the Attorney General’s office was restructured in accordance with the Constitution of 1996.
On Tuesday, MPs from across the political landscape ensured that Maluleke emerged as the best among what was described as a group of credible and well-qualified candidates.
“We agree that Tsakani Maluleke is the best candidate,” Tolashe concluded the one-hour procedure on Tuesday.
The next steps are for the ad-hoc committee to formally adopt its report with Maluleke as a unanimous recommendation and then for that report to go to the House for adoption, possibly as soon as Thursday. Once agreed, the nomination will go to President Cyril Ramaphosa for the official appointment. DM
