Minister Senzo Mchunu

The current Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) National Governing Council (NGC) is holding a two-day session in Muldersdrift with Civil Society to begin the process of establishing South Africa’s new National Governing Council of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and to pave the way for the 2nd Generation Review.

Speaking on the first day of the meeting on 10 December 2019, the Minister said at the core of the APRM, there is good governance as such, the structures that govern the APRM must be unquestionable in terms of good governance.

The Minister said as the engagement for the appointment of the new NGC resumes, he would like to see an NGC that is inclusive and that can take through the work of the APRM on behalf of the country and the African Union.

He said the issues to be dealt with by the APRM NGC are matters of a sovereign state and a sovereign continent, “the NGC should, therefore, be able to carry out this task at a higher level.

“As the NGC, we need to rise to the occasion to take the nature of work that needs to be undertaken in the APRM which is part of a continental conversion and the work of the AU in putting the country and Africa in the map,” he said.

The formation of the National Governing Council (NGC) will pave the way in preparing for the country’s Second Generation Review taking off in 2020.

Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Mr Senzo Mchunu, in his capacity as the APRM Focal Point for South Africa together with Deputy Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga will preside over the process that will lead to the roll-out plan of the 2nd review process of the country.

Once established, the new NGC will be expected to lead the country self-assessment process and ensures its credibility and ultimately produces the Country Self- Assessment Report (CSAR) for the APRM.

The NGC structure is at the core of the functioning and success of the country’s APRM, as its key role is to mobilise and ensure participation of all stakeholders and citizens in general to the APRM processes.

The structure is comprised of representatives and key stakeholders from government, civil society, private sector, marginalized communities and organisations representing women, youth and people with disabilities.

The APRM statute demands that Member States set up the NGC as national structure that will, among others, ensure the strategic functioning of the APRM national level and provide strategic policy guidance for its implementation, ensure that the country review process is technically competent, credible and free from political manipulation.

The NGC should also lead the APRM sensitization programmes country-wide and ensure that all stakeholders participate in the process and own it as well as ensuring that all the concerns outlined in the self–assessment reports and in the country review reports are addressed in its National Programmes of Action (NPOA).

The APRM, formed in 2003, is a mutually agreed instrument voluntarily acceded to by African Union (AU) Member States as an African self-monitoring mechanism to foster good governance in the continent through a systematic peer learning and self-assessment mechanism.

Its primary purpose is to foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration through sharing of experiences and reinforcement of successful and best practice, including identifying deficiencies and assessing the needs for capacity building.