APRM IN KZN OFF TO A WOBBLY START

July 19, 2006

The IFP expresses grave concerns about the fate of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in KwaZulu-Natal given the limited and lop-sided composition of the Provincial Governing Council which is responsible for the province's 2006 Self-Assessment Report. The APRM's focus is on the exercise of oversight and public participation in governance.

"The APRM is off to a wobbly start. We have serious reservations about the over-representation of certain interests on the Provincial Governing Council as well as the under-representation of others," said Dr Lionel Mtshali MPP who leads the IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Parliament.

"Governance, as the APRM understands it, is a broad concept encompassing all spheres of government and civil society. If we are to review governance in KwaZulu-Natal objectively, we cannot leave the review process in the hands of a council with limited and lop-sided representivity," said Dr Mtshali.

The IFP is alarmed by the fact that the Provincial Governing Council does not include representatives from the second largest party in the province, representatives from local government or representatives of traditional leaders nominated by the KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional Leaders.

The IFP is equally alarmed by the fact that labour and civil society interests are represented by ANC-aligned personages. In addition, the IFP is surprised to see that the APRM programme seeks to accommodate His Majesty the King who has no formal role in the province's governance.

"Denying representation to the second largest political party in the province, local government or traditional leaders will ultimately defeat the purpose of peer review as far as the exercise of oversight and public participation are concerned. The APRM runs the serious risk of becoming an ANC agency," said Dr Mtshali.

Contact: Dr Lionel Mtshali, 083 256 4902