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President Jacob Zuma is pleased to announce the appointment of Former Deputy President Baleka Mbete to serve on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Panel of Eminent Persons.

The Former Deputy President was unanimously appointed by the 16th Summit of the Committee of Participating Heads of State and Government of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APR Forum) on the margins of the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The APRM is a unique African initiated instrument that undertakes periodic Peer Reviews of participating African countries to strengthen and improve political, social and economic governance. The Panel is an independent and autonomous body. Individuals appointed to serve as Eminent Persons on the APR Panel are chosen because of their exceptional expertise and integrity, objectivity, impartiality and independence. They would have demonstrated their commitment to the ideals of Pan-Africanism and must have the capacity to engage stakeholders at a high level, including individual Heads of State and Government.

"The APRM is important because it encourages African nation states to not only make undertakings about good governance but to work hard to make this pledge a reality. Given her experience and expertise, Former Deputy President Mbete will add a lot of value to this august body. We congratulate her on this appointment and wish her the very best in her endeavours to contribute to Africa’s development and improve the lives of the communities on our continent,’’ said President Zuma.

Ms Mbete is eminently qualified and brings with this appointment a diversity of experience to the APR process. She has considerable and varied experience as a senior and internationally recognised African leader. A former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, she also served as a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.

She is well recognised by the international community and has played a leading role as an African leader and a human rights and justice campaigner.

She is also a role model for women in the continent and has been a champion fighting for the rights of women.