Hon House Chairperson, hon Deputy President, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, this is a report in two subreports -as the Orders follow each other, six and seven, respectively - for the Human Sciences Research Council's appointment of the new board, which is effective from 1 November 2013.
On 9 September 2013 the Speaker of the NA referred to the Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology, hereafter the committee, the shortlist of candidates for consideration in order to reconstitute the Human Sciences Research Council Board. The Human Sciences Research Council, hereafter the council, was established in terms of the Human Sciences Research Act, Act 23 of 1968. However, the Human Sciences Research Council Act, Act 17 of 2008, replaced the Act of 1968.
The council promotes research in the field of human sciences in order to improve understanding of social conditions and the process of social change. The objects of the council are to initiate, undertake and foster strategic basic research and applied research in human sciences, and to gather, analyse and publish data relevant to the developmental challenges in the Republic, elsewhere in Africa and in the rest of the world, especially by means of projects linked to public sector-oriented collaborative programmes; to inform the effective formulation and monitoring of policy and evaluate the implementation of policy; to stimulate public debate through the effective dissemination of fact-based results of research; to help build research capacity and infrastructure for the human sciences in the Republic and elsewhere in Africa; to foster and support research collaboration, networks and institutional linkages within the human sciences research community; to respond to the needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups in society by researching and analysing developmental problems, thereby contributing to the improvement of the quality of their lives; and, finally, to develop and make publicly available new data sets to underpin research, policy development and public discussion of the key issues of development, and to develop new and improved methodologies for use in their development.
The Human Sciences Research Council Act stipulates the process to be followed when appointing the board and states that the Minister of Science and Technology, hereafter the Minister, must submit a shortlist of candidates to the NA for its approval. The board must comprise persons who have distinguished themselves in the field of the human sciences and/or who have special qualifications, experience and skills in relation to some aspect of the functions of the council. Furthermore, at least one member must have financial expertise, and one other member must be a distinguished representative of the social sciences research community in the rest of Africa.
The board comprises a Chairperson, no less than six and not more than nine other members, and the chief executive officer as an ex officio member. The board members hold office for a period of four years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The term of the current board expires on 31 October 2013. The new board will serve from 1 November 2013 to 31 October 2017.
The committee deliberated on the shortlist on 18 September 2013 and agreed that all candidates had the requisite qualifications and experience to serve on the council's board. After adopting its report on the shortlist of candidates, the committee received additional information from the Minister of Science and Technology regarding a candidate who requested to be excused from the original shortlist.
The committee, having considered the shortlist and thereafter the information received from the Minister of Science and Technology, recommended that the NA approve the shortlist without the said candidate. I therefore present to the House the following reports of the committee for its consideration. We have 19 names here instead of 20, because of the member who had requested to be excused.
The names are: Prof T Pillay, Dr B Tema, Prof P Zulu, Prof R Moletsane, Prof V Msila, Prof L Qalinge, Prof S Ismail Abdi, Dr P Dube, Prof B Marcus, Prof S Hassim, Dr G Netswera, Prof A Olukoshi, Prof E Uliana, Mr N Rowan, Prof R van Niekerk, Adv R Dehal, Dr E Madela-Mntla, Ms N Badsha and Dr M Bussin.
The second report of the Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology relates to the consideration of a shortlist of candidates for appointment to the Board of the Human Sciences Research Council, HSRC, dated 9 October 2013. The Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology, having further considered the shortlist of candidates for the appointment to the board of the HSRC in terms of section 5(3) of the Human Sciences Research Council Act, No 17 of 2008, referred to it, as seen in the ATC dated 9 September 2013, recommends that the House approves the second report on the matter.
The committee adopted and published a report for the House to approve a shortlist of candidates, as seen in the ATC of 18 September 2013. On 18 September 2013 the Department of Science and Technology presented a shortlist of 20 names for consideration for appointment to the board of the HSRC. The department advised the committee that Professor Amanda Lourens, an expert in the field of statistics, was no longer available for nomination to the board. The committee noted the valuable skill and expertise that the candidate could have brought to the HSRC.
In a letter dated 27 September 2013, the committee received new information from the Minister of Science and Technology that Professor Lourens had subsequently reconsidered her position and was now available for nomination. In the light of this new information, the committee agreed to submit a second report to the House by which it recommends that the House approves the inclusion of the candidature of Professor Lourens. This will be in addition to the shortlist published on 18 September 2013, as seen in the ATC of 18 September 2013, p 3530.
The reports are to be considered here by the House. Having presented these two reports of the committee, I now appeal to the House to adopt them. Thank you. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Question put: That the following shortlist of candidates be approved: Prof T Pillay; Dr B Tema; Prof P Zulu; Prof R Moletsane, Prof V Msila, Prof L Qalinge, Prof S Ismail Abdi, Dr P Dube, Prof B Marcus, Prof S Hassim, Dr G Netswera, Prof A Olukoshi, Prof E Uliana, Mr N Rowan, Prof R van Niekerk, Adv R Dehal, Dr E Madela-Mntla, Ms N Badsha, Dr M Bussin and Prof A Lourens. Question agreed to.
The shortlist of candidates accordingly approved.