This week will mark six months since the establishment of the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel. The nine-person Panel was established in terms of the Electoral Amendment Act passed in 2023 to independently investigate, consult on, and make recommendations in respect of potential reforms of the electoral system for the election of the National Assembly and the election of Provincial Legislatures.
By 29 May 2025, the Panel is required to submit a report to the Minister of Home Affairs for tabling in Parliament, and identify possible options for electoral reform. For each option identified, the report must include:
- reasons, potential advantages and disadvantages of each system;
- their legal and constitutional implications;
- and possible financial implications.
A key part of the ERCP’s mandate is to consult widely with interested stakeholders and consider their views in the preparation of our final report.
On 26 August, we issued a call for written submissions from the public with the deadline for submissions closing on 31 October. We’ve received many well-considered submissions from the public and want to thank all those who took the time to share their views on electoral reform.
We’ve received over 350 written submissions from across the country including from a range of civil society organisations, political parties (both represented and unrepresented parties), independent candidates, academics, and ordinary citizens. We have seen a lot of interest in our work and we are looking to engaging with the public further in the next phase of our process.
A key part of this next phase of public engagement is a discussion paper prepared by the Panel and we’re excited to announce its publication today. The discussion paper will serve as the foundation for public hearings held in the coming months and outlines the key terms and concepts related to electoral system design that will need to be considered.
The discussion paper provides all the necessary background to the ERCP’s work so that South Africans can meaningfully engage with the Panel in its task. This includes background to the establishment of the ERCP and an elaboration of its mandate in clear terms. It also provides an overview of the historic context to our electoral system and the debates that have taken place on electoral reform over the last three decades. Most importantly, the discussion paper provides an easy introduction to the key electoral system design elements that will need to be considered. This includes:
- Electoral System Types: In terms of whether a system is based on proportional representation, simple majorities such as in first-past-the-post systems, or combines elements of both systems to form a mixed system such as used in our local government elections.
- Electoral Districts (Constituencies) and District Magnitude: This refers to the size and boundaries of electoral districts, also referred to as constituencies, including single-member and multi-member constituencies. This is a key design choice which differentiates proportional representation systems. In South Africa’s case, we have multi-member constituencies drawn to align with the nine provinces (the regional ballot) but there are also other options which may be considered.
- Compensatory and Two-Tier Systems: In South Africa, we have both regional and national ballots for two different levels of constituencies or electoral districts. In the discussion paper we explain the purpose of a two-tier system and one of the issues that the ERCP may have to consider is the relative split between national and second-tier seats.
- Open/Closed Party Lists: Most proportional representation systems make use of party-lists to elect candidates and these are either open or closed. In South Africa, we use a closed list system where voters can only choose between parties. In open list systems, voters can indicate preferences for specific candidates on party-lists.
- Thresholds: Some countries include a legal threshold in terms of a percentage of the vote which parties must pass to win seats. This is frequently used to prevent excessive fragmentation of the party system which can make coalition formation difficult or make coalitions unstable.
South Africans are encouraged to read the discussion paper for a more detailed explanation of these concepts and their implications. These are the five most significant design elements of electoral systems that the ERCP will have to consider, and we invite the public to work with us in identifying options for South Africa.
To determine what an appropriate electoral system for South Africa would look like, the ERCP has adopted seven guiding principles to assess options. These are:
- Inclusivity – The electoral system should encourage participation across demographic boundaries and encourage representation of South Africa’s diversity.
- Fairness – Every voter should have an equal opportunity to participate, and election results should be fair in the allocation of seats to closely represent the will of the people.
- Accountability – Elected representatives govern on behalf of voters and must be answerable in some form to citizens to explain their performance and justify their decisions.
- Simplicity – The electoral system should be simple enough for citizens to understand and participate effectively.
- Electoral Manageability – The system should enable effective election management to ensure the credibility of the electoral process and limit frivolous contestations.
- Transparency – Processes for determining the allocation of seats for political parties and candidates based on election results should be clear to voters.
- Stable and Efficient Government – The choice of system should facilitate political stability including effective government formation and encourage the overall legitimacy of the system.
These principles draw on the country’s founding values set out in section 1 of the Constitution to establish a multi-party system of democratic government based in accountability, responsiveness and openness to uphold values of human dignity, non-racialism, non-sexism, and the achievement of equality.
These guiding principles and the key electoral system design elements that we’ve identified form the basis of our next phase of public consultations. Other the next several months until March 2025, the ERCP will meet with stakeholders across the country to hear their perspectives on electoral reform. This includes dedicated events for political parties, civil society organisations and ordinary citizens across the country.
We plan to visit all nine provinces to engage with the public and encourage interested stakeholders to monitor announcements on dates and locations of public participation events by following the ERCP on social media. Stakeholders are also encouraged to continue sharing their views on the prospects of electoral reform by writing to the Panel. The ERCP can be reached by email through: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We look forward to engaging with the public further in the next phase of consultations and encourage South Africans to read the discussion paper and engage with this important debate on the future of our democracy.