By REGINALD KANYANE
9 June 2025- The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Premier and Finance has expressed deep disappointment in the North West Provincial Government’s failure to ensure gender equity in senior appointments. This comes after the startling revelation that, of the 12 Heads of Department (HoDs) across the province, only one woman, Kgomotso Mahlobo (Human Settlements), has been appointed.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Nathan Oliphant said this emerged during an oversight meeting with the Office of the Premier on employment equity in senior management, particularly among Deputy Directors-General (DDGs) and HoDs.
“It is unacceptable that a government led by a majority female Executive Council—six women out of ten—has failed to reflect that same commitment in its top administrative appointments.
“Furthermore, of the 11 DDG posts who are not HODs in departments, 8 are filled, 6 by African men, 1 by an African woman, and 1 by an Indian man. Three positions remain vacant,” he said.
Oliphant further said this clearly fails to represent the demographics of the province and shows a disturbing lack of urgency in transforming public sector leadership. He added that the committee highlighted that these are the same vacancies where the Office of the Premier failed to adhere and comply with recruitment requirements, which emphasized prioritizing women and persons with disabilities.
“We warn that appointing more men would contradict both the South African Constitution and the province’s own equity commitments. This unlawful deviation from the advertised equity priorities would not only be a step backward, but a betrayal of efforts to redress historic imbalances.
“The committee has called for a full employment equity implementation report from all departments and urged the Office of the Premier to reconsider appointments that have not yet been finalized,” said Oliphant.
He said there’s a serious concern that transformation has stalled. Oliphant said transparency is appreciated, but action is now required to correct this imbalance.
“The committee will convene a special follow-up meeting once the requested reports are received,” he said.
Meanwhile, the acting North West Premier, Kenetswe Mosenogi acknowledged the disappointing report and noted that three HoD vacancies remain unfilled.
The Guardian 