The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs applauds the progress achieved by the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel as it undertakes the process of considering electoral reform but emphasised the need for effective and proactive public consultation to enable broader societal participation.

The committee received a progress report from the panel including the development of a draft programme of action, adopting preliminary guiding principles and undertaking preliminary desktop research, and identifying thematic areas for research.

“While this is commendable progress, we must emphasise the importance of effective and meaningful public participation to ensure broader participation. Of most importance will be to ensure that even those in far-flung areas are given an opportunity to participate,” said Mr Mosa Chabane, the Chairperson of the committee.

The committee also persuaded the panel to extend the deadline for the public to submit their views on the issue to the end of October 2024 to enable the public to conduct further consultation and provide substantive inputs.

In addition, the committee welcomed the intention to partner with government entities such as the Pan South African Language Board to enable effective communication on the matter in different languages and the Government Communication and Information System to ensure extensive reach of the panel’s messaging.

The committee also underscored the panel’s responsibility to examine the current electoral system and conduct extensive research of other electoral systems to ensure broader options are presented to Parliament to consider.

The committee also emphasised that the panel must table before it a full programme with timelines, in the context of the legislated timelines in the Electoral Amendment Act of 2023. The committee also emphasised the need to manage time without affecting the quality of output the panel will produce.

Furthermore, the committee agreed that the panel’s independence must be jealously guarded to ensure a credible report. The committee will, upon presentation of the report, undertake its own public participation processes to identify and agree on the best possible outcome.

During their constituency work, committee members committed to engage with their communities about the panel’s work and the need for participation. “It is only through the participation of the people that a credible product will emanate from the panel. We thus urge the public to participate and contribute to charting a path for South Africa’s democratic order,” Mr Chabane emphasised.

Meanwhile, the committee considered a letter it received from the Speaker of the National Assembly on the matter of the judgement delivered in the Western Cape High Court on the My Vote Counts NPC and the President of the Republic, which was delivered on 16 August 2024, on setting the upper limit for donations and the disclosure threshold for donations determined in Schedule 2 of the Political Parties Funding Act 2018. The committee resolved to finalise a draft motion for consideration by the house in its scheduled meeting of 10 September 2024.