Parliament, Thursday, 17 March 2022 – A delegation of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has concluded the Free State leg of public hearings on the Electoral Amendment Bill, with residents of Kroonstad calling for the regulation of funding for independent candidates. The delegation is continuing with the nationwide public participation process to gather the public’s views on the amendment Bill.
There was a widespread view that the Political Party Funding Act has set a necessary framework for the declaration of funding for political parties, and this must extend to independent candidates. Participants in the public hearings argued that while opening the space for independent candidates as directed by the Constitutional Court has been established, fairness dictates that all parties in an election should be treated the same. Others said that in regulating funding, the law could prevent external influences on South Africa’s internal democratic processes.
Participants said that the current proportional representation system is practical and ensures demographic proportional representation. In addition, the proposed amendment synchronises the legal framework with the spirit of the Constitution by legislating for the participation of independents in provincial and national elections.
The proportional representation system also makes space for fair treatment of minorities and independent candidates, and this will encourage voter turnout, which is good for democratic processes, people said.
Residents also highlighted that the first-past-the-post system cannot be trusted to produce a legislature that represents all South Africans, which undermines the constitutional right to representation.
On the practicalities of the Bill, participants were concerned about the 426 000 spoiled ballots in the 2019 provincial and national elections and said that the amendment Bill will make it more difficult for South Africans to vote. They also highlighted that the value of votes will be eroded if some votes are discarded. Using the Freedom Charter as a framework, participants said the guiding principle of “the people shall govern” must be extended to independent candidates. Those against the Bill supported the application for an extension to enable the committee and Parliament more time to find a workable Bill.
Today, the committee moves its public participation process to the Eastern Cape where it will hold three public hearings. The committee invites all individuals and interested organisations to come and make inputs on the Bill to ensure that the final product reflects their will and aspirations. The committee recognises that the hearings take place while the risks posed by Covid-19 continue. The committee has put mitigating measures in place to minimise this risk to participants.
Details of the hearing (Eastern Cape)
Date: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Time: 10:00
Venue: War Memorial, Qonce
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE LEADER OF DELEGATION OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MS ANTHEA RAMOLOBENG.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
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