“I am humbled by the faith that my colleagues in the executive committee have shown in me by appointing me to this position of responsibility‚” Mkhwebane said.
Busisiwe Mkhwebane has been appointed as the first vice president of the African Aombudsman and Meditators Association (AOMA). The decision was made by the body’s executive committee in Bujumbura, Rwanda.
AOMA is an organization of 40 public protector-like institutions. The organization also has an additional four sectoral ombudsman institutions such as the South African Military Ombud and the Western Cape Police Ombudsman. According to TimesLive, the association’s goal is to advance the ideals of good governance and human rights norms in Africa. The organization will achieve such through supporting and protecting the development and independence of its insitutions throughout the continent.
Actually, Mkhwebane is only one of the three appointments that were made by the executive committee. Edouard Nduwimana was appointed president of the the association and Adama Toungara will be serving as second vice president of AOMA. The newly elected officials and their reconfigured positions was followed by the appointment of Fozia Amin, who served as the organization;s president since 2014. She has now been appointed as the Minister of Tourism and Culture in Ethiopia, where she had originally been fulfilling her ombudsman duties.
The newly appointed officials will be serving until November 2018, until the next Aseebly appoints new office bearers.
Mkhwebane duties will involve, in the absence of the president, presiding over all AOMA meetings, the general supervision of the body’s affairs and operations, acting as the spokesperson of the body and performing all other duties required by the committee. Mkhwebane’s appointment does not mark the first time South Africa has been given a leadership position in AOMA. The former Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela served as AOMA’s executive secretary for two successive terms, until 2014.
