On 7 December 2023, the Minister of Home Affairs introduced the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill to the National Assembly, and Parliament called for public comments a week later. Because the Bill will bring various pieces of legislation in line with the Electoral Amendment Act of 2023, it must be adopted as a law before the General Election.
Most of the Minister’s proposed amendments are minor and legally required. They aim to satisfy the Electoral Act by bringing independent candidates into the electoral system. Several of these proposals, however, present a disparity between the ways that parties, independent representatives, and independent candidates will be treated/considered under the new electoral system.
Further, some proposed amendments are opportunistic and have far-reaching consequences for laws such as the Political Party Funding Act (PPFA). If adopted, these amendments will lead to more secrecy in political party funding, will benefit established parties, and give the President more powers to determine the crucial limits and thresholds related to political party funding.
Read a summary of our submission here and our full submission here. For media enquiries email info@myvotecounts.org.za or WhatsApp 0724567260
Submitted by Robyn Pasensie (Political Party Funding Researcher) and Boikanyo Moloto (Political Systems Researcher) on behalf of My Vote Counts
