Red Cross goes for its elective AGM
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday December 11, 2023 06:00
According to the BRSC secretary-general (SG), Kutlwano Mukokomani, the organisation is now at peace and preparations for the elective AGM are going well. Unlike in previous years, the upcoming elective AGM will be governed by the new constitution, which mandates that an election committee be appointed to oversee the elections. Under the previous constitution, the SG was responsible for running the elections.
“The new constitution helps the organisation to move forward in a positive direction.
Again, an election committee would help in ensuring a fair and impartial process, while allowing me to focus on other duties of the organisation. As part of the AGM preparations, sub-branches and branches have already completed their elections.
The BRSC has 22 sub branches and 10 branches, which has two divisions being north and south. The new constitution states that the chairpersons from the divisions will sit on the newly elected National executive committee, which functions as the board,” Mukokomani said in an interview on Wednesday this week. In addition to the president and vice president, the SG said the new constitution also states that the vice president must be selected from the chairpersons of the south and north divisions.
He said it is a deliberate effort to ensure representation from across the organisation, which is the smart way to build a cohesive and effective leadership team. In that regard, he said the organisation has engaged a human resource company to vet the candidates for the upcoming elections, as the qualifications for the president have changed. The SG said the company is conducting interviews and will announce the shortlisted candidates once the process is complete.
He said the organisation hopes that this process will be completed soon and the election committee will then start to prepare voters’ rolls. Mukokomani said the organisation’s national executive committee (NEC) co-opts individuals to fill the positions of national treasurer, legal advisor, youth representative, and a person with special skills.
He said the NEC has seven to nine members depending on how the executive sees the need without exceeding nine. The SG said the new constitution was designed to align the organisation with the International Federation of Red Cross. He further pointed out that the new constitution also stipulates that the elective AGM will be held every four years, rather than every two years as was the case with the previous constitution. He, however, said members of the election committee have experience conducting elections, as some of them have worked for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). He said as a result, the organisation is confident that the elections will be free and fair. Meanwhile, the south division is expected to hold its elective meeting on Saturday while the north division has already voted their leaders.