TRC Final Report

Volume 1

Chapter 9

Subsection 1

Volume ONE Chapter NINE

Report of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Accounting Officer

■ STATUTORY IMPERATIVES

1 The Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act (the Act) provided for the appointment of a chief executive officer and outlined the obligations, roles, responsibilities and reporting relationships of this function. These included the obligation of the chief executive officer to act as the chief accounting officer of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (the Commission) for the purposes of section 15 of the Exchequer Act (no 66 of 1975).

2 Section 36 (1) of the Act set out the clear intention that the Commission should be independent, stating that:

the Commission, its Commissioners and every member of its staff shall function without political or other bias or interference and shall be independent and separate from any party, government, administration or any other functionary or body directly or indirectly representing the interests of any such entity.

3 The Act also provided for the establishment, development and nurturing of cooperative relationships between the Commission and, in particular, the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Finance to help facilitate and/or expedite all legal and financial matters aimed at achieving the statutory objectives of the Commission.

4 The Chief Executive Officer was appointed to fulfil the above objectives and to provide leadership in managing the Commission.

■ ORGANISATIONAL CHALLENGES

5 In order to ensure that work began as soon as possible after the appointment of the Commission, certain essential steps were undertaken. Through its vice-chairperson Dr Alex Boraine and two consultants, the Commission:

a contracted out some aspects of work and services to selected vendors without prior tenders or bids;

b developed a simple, ‘flat’ organisational structure;

c compiled job descriptions for staff that were immediately required;

d put together the rudiments of a staff salary structure based on the median salaries for public servants, the Public Service Commission’s graded salary structure and the Patterson Job Evaluation Grades;

e procured the Commission’s national and regional offices.