African National Congress (ANC) MP and National Council of Provinces deputy chairman Lawrence Mushwana is among the latest nominations for a successor to Public Protector Selby Baqwa, whose term of office expires at the end of the month.

Other candidates include the judge president of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Navanethem Pillay.

Pillay and Johannesburg advocate Divya Singh are the only women to be nominated for the position. Other nominees include Lawyers for Human Rights executive director Vinodh Jaichand, KwaZulu-Natal state law adviser Fikile Ndaki, Transkei advocate Loyiso Mpumlwana and advocate L J Pienaar.

Wits University's prof Shadrack Gutto, who became a SA citizen in October 2000, is also in the running.

This follows a third round of print advertisements inviting nominations and applications for the post.

Parliament's ad hoc committee on the appointment of a public protector has until October 17 to make a recommendation to the National Assembly.

It plans to interview the eight nominees this week and will then decide on a candidate.

Those short-listed previously would also be part of the pool, committee chairman MJ Mahlangu said yesterday.

The National Assembly recommends a candidate to President Thabo Mbeki, who makes the appointment for a nonrenewable seven-year term.

Baqwa will join banking group Nedcor and his current deputy, Thinus Schutte, will be the acting public protector until a successor is appointed.

Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Hendrik Schmidt says Mushwana's nomination after Nthai's shows the ANC does not understand the need to ensure that watchdog bodies remain independent of political parties and government.

Schmidt says the DA will oppose Mushwana's redeployment to the post of public protector "as should everyone committed to the protection of our constitutional order".

With acknowledgements to Angela Quintal and Business Day.