Media Statement: Electoral Amendment Bill Should Not Make Voting Too Complicated and Impractical

Parliament, Thursday, 10 March 2022 – Residents of Ladysmith in Kwazulu-Natal have called for measures to be put in place to ensure that the Electoral Amendment Bill does not lead to a cumbersome electoral process which will result in elections not reflecting the will of the people.

A delegation of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has over the past three days held hearings in Richards Bay, Pietermaritzburg, and Ladysmith to garner public comments on the amendments and is satisfied by the quality of inputs it received from the public. “We are content that the residents of KwaZulu-Natal have adequately expressed themselves and put on the table their views which will guide the committee in its deliberations on the Bill,” said the leader of the delegation Mr Brandon Pillay.

With all participants supporting the Bill, many highlighted that there is a need for stricter measures to be put in place to restrict frivolous independent candidates and political parties. Residents are of the view that without restrictive measures, the IEC would be forced to print long and cumbersome ballot papers which are both impractical and financially unviable. To avert this, the participants called for a review of prerequisites to stand as an independent and political party for election with calls that an independent or political party must show that it has the potential to receive votes amounting to one-third of the required quota for a seat.

There was general support for the Proportional Representation model as, according to participants, it allowed for greater representation of women, youth, and other marginalised groups who could ordinarily be excluded under a constituency-based system.

Furthermore, there was a view that the calculations of seats as currently proposed posed a danger for effective governance in the case where no party gets over 50% of the vote. This, according to participants, was already leading to unstable coalitions at local government level.

Today the committee moves to the Northern Cape for scheduled public hearings. 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. Covid regulations will be implemented to ensure the safety of all participants.

Details of the hearings (Nothern Cape)
Date: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Venue: Tol Speelman Civic Hall, Upington
Time: 11:00

NB: The full programme of the hearings can be uploaded from the link below: https://tinyurl.com/2p9df69n

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE LEADER OF DELEGATION OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR BRANDON PILLAY.