AN Aspirant candidate vying to be on the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) board has been given until Friday to produce his certificate or a sworn affidavit to Parliament ahead of the interviews planned for next month.
This happens as the portfolio committee on women, youth and persons with disabilities resolved to allow four other aspirant candidates to be interviewed after their negative credit record was flagged by the State Security Agency.
Yesterday, the committee met to receive a briefing on the security screening and verification of qualifications of 20 candidates that were shortlisted for the interviews.
This after the public was asked to make written comments between December 6 and January 15 on the candidates to be interviewed in the last week of February.
MPs heard that the committee received a considerable amount of comments totalling 1349 from individuals and organisations.
Much of the comments were said to be positive with only six candidates attracting negative comments.
One of the comments questioned why there was no candidate from Venda and another questioned why a nominated candidate was not shortlisted.
Mvaba Dumezweni, a parliamentary official, told the MPs that the candidates managed sent their forms which authorised their security vetting and a report was received from the SSA on Monday.
“Out of 20 that submitted their finger prints and all necessary documents, 16 got positive results. There are no criminal records,” he said,
Dumezweni said only four candidates were flagged as having a negative credit record.
On the qualifications verifications, he said one candidate did not follow the instructions to sign each page of the forms to be filled, but had subsequently complied after electing to sign them electronically.
Dumezweni said the service provider has finalised the verification of 10 of the candidates, but one of the candidates did not provide a copy of a matric certificate other than a statement of results.
The candidate lost his certificate and was in a process to get another reissued.
The service provider has refused to verify the qualification, demanding a copy of the certificate be submitted instead.
EFF MP Khosi Mkonto asked if the document submitted by the unnamed candidate had been verified.
Mkonto also said the issue of a credit record was tricky as finance institutions were not pro-poor or showed empathy for the previously disadvantaged.
“If people are not creditworthy, what does it mean for young people who have not started life,” she asked.
Mkonto said the credit record requirement should put aside and to allow the candidates to be interviewed.
DA MP Eleanore Bouw-Spies said when a person applied for a post and is serious about the application, he or she ensured that all document were in place.
“It is not for anyone to chase you to hand in documents,” Bouw-Spies said.
She also said certain people go through tough times not because of their own doing and that many things happen in their lives.
“Circumstances impact on your credit record and I understand the responsibilities these board members have to carry and execute. It is a very fine line,” she said.
ANC MP Tshiamo Tsotetsi said no candidate should be punished for not producing a matric certificate.
After some discussion by MPs, committee chairperson Liezl van der Merwe said the committee will give the four candidates flagged with negative credit record an opportunity to be interviewed.
“The committee would like to interview the four candidates and we will during interviews do due diligence to ensure the candidates we recommend are responsible and we are satisfied they will be able to take on their fiduciary duties,” she said.