[Photo: NETWERK24]

Several prominent civil society organisations have raised alarms over the recent appointment of individuals to the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel by the Minister of Home Affairs.

The groups, including the Active Citizens Movement, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Ambassadors 4 Change, and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, have expressed their apprehensions about the selection process and the transparency of the panel’s formation. They argue that the current composition of the panel may not adequately represent the diverse voices and interests necessary for meaningful electoral reform.

Boikanyo Moloto from My Vote Counts stated that the panel is established under the Electoral Matters Amendment Act, which was signed into law by the President last year.
“The panel is meant to investigate alternative electoral systems and propose reforms before the 2029 National and Provincial elections for South Africa. It is all about electoral reforms, considering that our current system was ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in 2020,” she said.

According to Moloto, the bill, which came into effect in 2017, stipulated that the panel was to be established within four months of its enactment.
“The minister missed many deadlines, but the initial panel that was introduced in December 2023, the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, said it lacked diversity. Then they re-opened the process, and now he has given us a new panel, which is really heavy on previous government officials and IEC officials and lacks any representation from civil society and young people,” she said.

The panel, initially expected to start its work before the upcoming elections, is predominantly composed of former government and IEC employees and will now have one year from Election Day to complete their tasks.

“What we are pushing for as civil society is asking that the seven sitting parliament would reconsider the composition of the panel. We also plan to be part of the electoral reform in SA and will be keeping updated on that,” said Moloto.

Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) and various civil society organisations have expressed concerns that the current panel does not encompass the necessary skills, experience, and independence required for the critical task of electoral reform. They recommend that the next Parliament review the panel’s composition to ensure the reform process gains the public’s trust.

Moloto indicated that My Vote Counts hopes the next Parliament will take this up.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Boikanyo Moloto, here.