Members of the public have been given more time to make submissions on proposals for the electoral system the country should adopt.
The electoral reform consultation panel extended the initial September 30 deadline to October 31.
“The invitation for submissions is made as part of the panel’s duty to undertake a public participation process regarding the issues falling within its functions,” the panel’s chairperson Richard Sizani said.
The Electoral Amended Act, signed into law in April last year, empowers the Home Affairs Minister to establish a nine-member panel within four months after the commencement of the act, May 2023, after consultation with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
The panel will investigate, consult and make recommendations on electoral reform. It is expected in terms of the amended legislation to submit a report to the minister within 24 months after the law was passed.
Sizani said they were inviting members of the public, organisations, including political parties or prospective independent candidates to make written submissions for its consideration on proposals for an electoral system for the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. The next are to take place in 2029.
“Submissions must also address why, how and whether the current South African electoral system should be reformed, changed, or even replaced,” he said.
The panel, which includes academics, election administrators, and public service experts, was appointed in May this year and must conclude its mandate within a year of the 2024 general elections.
Sizani said the panel has adopted six initial guiding principles for evaluating proposed electoral systems for South Africa.
These principles draw on the founding values set out in section 1 of the Constitution to establish a multi-party system of democratic government based on accountability, responsiveness and openness to uphold values of human dignity, non-racialism, non-sexism, and the achievement of equality.
The six guiding principles are inclusivity, fairness, accountability, simplicity, electoral manageability and transparency.
Cape Times