Nominations for electoral reform consultation panel to be reopened

Parliament’s home affairs committee has decided that the nomination process for members of the electoral reform consultation panel must be reopened because of the low number of nominees received and the low number of female nominees.

The nine-member panel, which will be set up under the Electoral Amendment Act, will be tasked with investigating electoral systems and must submit its report 12 months after the date of the 2024 elections.

The decision to provide for a panel in the amendment act was taken after stakeholders said the amendments to cater for independent candidates in national and provincial elections did not go far enough and that a more comprehensive reform of the electoral system was needed.

Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi told the committee on Friday that he had shortlisted 12 candidates from the 25 nominations received. A few of those were removed because they were not eligible, leaving 20 who were considered. Of these, only two are women.

Motsoaledi consulted with the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) on the names and it was decided that commissioners and commission staff should not be eligible for selection to the panel.

The 12 selected were Ebrahim Fakir, Johann Kriegler,

Lawson Naidoo, Lehlohonolo Letshele, Steven Friedman, Thabo Manyoni, Saths Cooper, Richard Sizani, Lavan Gopaul, Pansy Tlakula, Norman du Plessis and Zama Awuzie.

Motsoaledi said one of the criteria applied was that nominees should demonstrate “a willingness to explore options and solutions rather than hold fixed views in relation to democratic systems and electoral systems”. MPs from across the political spectrum were unanimous that there needed to be more women on the panel and that the nomination process should be reopened so that more nominees could be proposed. The IEC supported the reopening of the process to enhance the selection and ensure more people were nominated.

One of the considerations the committee also took into account in its decision was that parliament rises for the December/January recess next week and there will not be enough time before then for the committee to finalise the list and for the National Assembly to approve it. This is only likely to happen in February/March, which gives the minister enough time to seek further nominations.

The committee decided that those who had already submitted nominations would not need to do so again.

Committee chair Chabane Mosa reprimanded Motsoaledi for failing to comply with the time frames laid down in the act for the establishment of the panel. The act stipulates that the panel must be appointed four months after commencement of the act, which was proclaimed on June 22, meaning the panel should have been appointed by the end of October. The final notice calling for nominations was only published on July 21.

Motsoaledi said the delay was due to a heavy workload including the preparation of three bills.