Western Cape Children’s Commissioner interviews: Day 3

Meeting report

After introductions, the Chairperson explained the interview procedure to be followed by the Committee.

Candidate 11: Ms Joy Van der Heyden
The Chairperson welcomed the candidate, thanked her for availing herself for the interview and explained the process for the interview.

Ms N BakuBaku-Vos (ANC) asked what the candidate's understanding of the Children’s Commissioner was.

[Refer to audio for candidate’s responses to interview questions]

Ms W Philander (DA) asked how the candidate envisaged the role of working with the Western Cape Provincial Government to ensure the rights of children are protected.

Mr R Mackenzie (DA) asked how the candidate would communicate the role of the Children’s Commissioner to the people of the Western Cape and South Africa at large.

Mr G Bosman (DA) asked what value the candidate's previous job experience would add to the role of the Children’s Commissioner.

Mr Bosman asked the candidate which government departments were tasked with delivering constitutional rights to children and how the candidate would engage with these departments to ensure they were delivering.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos asked how the candidate would find out at a grassroots level which children are most vulnerable and in need of intervention on their behalf.

Ms Philander asked what steps the candidate would take when she found out that a child or an entire community of children were being deprived of their constitutional rights and to ascertain what the different government departments were doing about it.

Mr Mackenzie asked if the candidate was aware of the dire shortage of child care centres for disruptive behaviour in the Western Cape and asked what the candidate would do to make more childcare centres available for children to be placed.

Mr Bosman asked the candidate about child trafficking in the Western Cape and referred to mothers who rented their children to shoplifting syndicates and wanted know how the candidate would assist the children who are arrested while their mothers are not prosecuted.

Mr Bosman asked if the candidate was aware of the Family Violence and Sexual Offences Unit within the South African Police Service having logistical constraints and resource shortages to follow up reported sexual abuse cases and the challenge of DNA samples going missing. Mr Bosman asked how the candidate would assist the Family Violence and Sexual Offences Unit.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos stated that there was a lack of state-funded counselling for abused children as ChildLine and Safeline have a three-month waiting list and asked how the candidate would change this.

Ms Philander asked the candidate how the education system could be made more accessible for children with special needs.

Mr Mackenzie asked the candidate how to bridge the gap between the Children’s Act and its proper implementation on ground level.

Mr Bosman asked what experience the candidate had in setting up a large, newly-established office, budgeting and managing staff.

Mr Bosman stated the Children’s Commissioner would deal with monitoring and reporting and asked how the candidate would go about raising awareness in departments and the executive and what monitoring tools would be implemented.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos asked how the candidate would manage a situation where government departments or the executive do not want to cooperate with the Office of the Commissioner.

Ms Philander asked how the candidate would defend the integrity of the Children’s Commissioner and how she would protect the functional independence of the Commissioner.

Mr Bosman asked what the candidate would prioritise in making effective changes to ensure that children’s rights are protected.

Mr Mackenzie asked how the candidate would engage with NGOs and other relevant stakeholders to encourage more public-private partnerships.

Mr Mackenzie asked the candidate what she was doing between the months of January and March 2005 and May and October 2005 as her CV did not indicate this.

The Chairperson thanked Ms Van der Heyden for availing herself for the interview and for the work that she does and asked if she had any questions for the Committee.

Candidate 12: Ms Lydia Plaatjies
The Chairperson welcomed the candidate, thanked her for availing herself for the interview and explained the process for the interview.

Ms N BakuBaku-Vos (ANC) asked what the candidate's understanding of the Children’s Commissioner was.

[Refer to audio for candidate’s responses to interview questions]

Ms W Philander (DA) asked how the candidate envisaged the role of working with the Western Cape Provincial Government to ensure the rights of children are protected.

Mr R Mackenzie (DA) asked how the candidate would communicate the role of the Children’s Commissioner to the people of the Western Cape and South Africa at large.

Ms N Makamba-Botya (EFF) asked what value the candidate's previous job experience would add to the role of the Children’s Commissioner.

Mr G Bosman (DA) asked the candidate which government departments were tasked with delivering constitutional rights to children and how the candidate would engage with these departments to ensure they were delivering.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos asked how the candidate would find out at a grassroots level which children are most vulnerable and in need of intervention on their behalf.

Ms Philander asked what steps the candidate would take when she found out that a child or an entire community of children were being deprived of their constitutional rights and to ascertain what the different government departments were doing about it.

Mr Mackenzie asked if the candidate was aware of the dire shortage of child care centres for disruptive behaviour in the Western Cape and asked what the candidate would do to make more childcare centres available for children to be placed.

Ms Makamba-Botya asked the candidate about child trafficking in the Western Cape and referred to mothers who rented their children to shoplifting syndicates and wanted know how the candidate would assist the children who are arrested while their mothers are not prosecuted.

Mr Bosman asked if the candidate was aware of the Family Violence and Sexual Offences Unit within the South African Police Service having logistical constraints and resource shortages to follow up reported sexual abuse cases and the challenge of DNA samples going missing. Mr Bosman asked how the candidate would assist the Family Violence and Sexual Offences Unit in resolving these issues.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos stated that there was a lack of state-funded counselling for abused children as ChildLine and Safeline have a three-month waiting list and asked how the candidate would change this.

Ms Philander asked the candidate how the education system could be made more accessible for children with special needs.

Mr Mackenzie asked the candidate how to bridge the gap between the Children’s Act and its proper implementation on ground level.

Ms Makamba-Botya asked what experience the candidate had in setting up a large, newly-established office, budgeting and managing staff.

Mr Bosman stated the Children’s Commissioner would deal with monitoring and reporting and asked how the candidate would go about raising awareness in departments and the executive and what monitoring tools would be implemented.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos asked how the candidate would manage a situation where government departments or the executive do not want to cooperate with the Office of the Commissioner.

Ms Philander asked how the candidate would defend the integrity of the Children’s Commissioner and how she would protect the functional independence of the Commissioner.

Ms Makamba-Botya asked what the candidate would prioritise in ensuring that children’s rights are protected.

Mr Bosman asked how the candidate would engage with NGOs and other relevant stakeholders to encourage more public-private partnerships.

The Chairperson thanked Ms Plaatjies for availing herself for the interview and asked if she had any questions for the Committee.

Candidate 13: Adv Mirinda Gaum
The Chairperson welcomed the candidate, thanked her for availing herself for the interview and explained the process for the interview.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos (ANC) asked what the candidate's understanding of the Children’s Commissioner was.

[Refer to audio for candidate’s responses to interview questions]

Ms W Philander (DA) asked how the candidate envisaged the role of working with the Western Cape Provincial Government to ensure the rights of children are protected.

Mr R Mackenzie (DA) asked how the candidate would communicate the role of the Children’s Commissioner to the people of the Western Cape and South Africa at large.

Ms N Makamba-Botya (EFF) asked what value the candidate's previous job experience would add to the role of the Children’s Commissioner.

Mr G Bosman (DA) asked the candidate which government departments were tasked with delivering constitutional rights to children and how the candidate would engage with these departments to ensure they were delivering.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos asked how the candidate would find out at a grassroots level which children are most vulnerable and in need of intervention on their behalf.

Ms Philander asked what steps the candidate would take when she found out that a child or an entire community of children were being deprived of their constitutional rights and to ascertain what the different government departments were doing about it.

Mr Mackenzie asked if the candidate was aware of the dire shortage of child care centres for disruptive behaviour in the Western Cape and asked what the candidate would do to make more childcare centres available for children to be placed.

Ms Makamba-Botya asked the candidate about child trafficking in the Western Cape and referred to mothers who rented their children to shoplifting syndicates and wanted know how the candidate would assist the children who are arrested while their mothers are not prosecuted.

Mr Bosman asked if the candidate was aware of the Family Violence and Sexual Offences Unit within the South African Police Service having logistical constraints and resource shortages to follow up reported sexual abuse cases and the challenge of DNA samples going missing. Mr Bosman asked how the candidate would assist the Family Violence and Sexual Offences Unit.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos stated that there was a lack of state-funded counselling for abused children as ChildLine and Safeline have a three-month waiting list and asked how the candidate would change this.

Ms Philander asked the candidate how the education system could be made more accessible for children with special needs.

Mr Mackenzie asked the candidate how to bridge the gap between the Children’s Act and its proper implementation on ground level.

Ms Makamba-Botya asked what experience the candidate had in setting up a large, newly-established office, budgeting and managing staff.

Mr Bosman stated the Children’s Commissioner would deal with monitoring and reporting and asked how the candidate would go about raising awareness in departments and the executive and what monitoring tools would be implemented.

Ms BakuBaku-Vos asked how the candidate would manage a situation where government departments or the executive do not want to cooperate with the Office of the Commissioner.

Ms Philander asked how the candidate would defend the integrity of the Children’s Commissioner and how she would protect the functional independence of the Commissioner.

Ms Makamba-Botya asked what the candidate would prioritise in ensuring that children’s rights are protected.

Mr Mackenzie asked how the candidate would engage with NGOs and other relevant stakeholders to encourage more public-private partnerships.

The Chairperson thanked Adv Gaum for availing herself for the interview and asked if she had any questions for the Committee.

The Chairperson referred to Ms Plaatjie’s comments that she was informed of her interview only on Monday 17 February 2020, that it could be confirmed this information was communicated to and received by Ms Plaaitjie on the 22 January 2020.

The Committee agreed to reconvene in the afternoon in a closed session for deliberations on the 13 interviewed candidates.

The Chairperson thanked all members of the public and interest groups who were present at the interviews.

Meeting adjourned.