Parliament, Sunday, 6 March 2022 – The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs will from tomorrow Monday, 7 March 2022, start nationwide public hearings on the Electoral Amendment Bill. In order to ensure that all the South African citizens get an opportunity to express their views on the Bill, make inputs and to ensure that it meets the constitutionally set deadline, the committee has divided itself into two groups. One of the groups starts its hearings in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.
The Bill was necessitated by the June 2020 Constitutional Court judgement on the New Nation Movement NPC and Others vs President of the Republic of South Africa and Others case, which found the Electoral Act 73 of 1998 unconstitutional, to the extent that it requires that adult citizens be elected to the National Assembly and to provincial legislatures only through their membership of political parties.
Parliament was given 24 months to remedy the defect, which lapses in June 2022. This is a Bill that seeks to remedy this defect. The committee has resolved that due to the magnitude of the matter being covered and the implications for the democratic dispensation, it will hold public hearings in all the provinces.
“The commencement of these public hearings is the realisation of a commitment the committee made after the Constitutional Court judgement to undertake an extensive and meaningful public participation process to give the people of South Africa an opportunity to decide on the electoral reform they think will best respond to the uniquely South African electoral conditions,” said Mr Brandon Pillay, the leader of the delegation.
The Constitution in Sections 59(1)(a), 72(1)(a) and 118(1)(a) compel Parliament, in the execution of its mandate, to include the broader public in decision-making processes. The committee’s comprehensive public participation plan seeks to adhere to that obligation.
The committee invites all individuals and interested organisations to come and make inputs on the Bill, to ensure that the final product is reflective of their will and aspirations. The committee is cognisant that these hearings happen while the country continues to face the risks posed by Covid-19. The committee has taken this into consideration and has in place mitigating plans to ensure participants’ safety.
Details of the hearings (KwaZulu-Natal)
Date: Monday, 7 March 2022
Time: 10:00
Venue: Ngwelezane Community Hall (Richards Bay)
NB: The full programme of the hearings can be uploaded from the link below: https://tinyurl.com/bde2kry4
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE LEADER OF DELEGATION OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR BRANDON PILLAY.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the Committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8438
Cell: 081 512 7920
E-mail: mmolepo@parliament.gov.za
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