Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Electoral Matters Amendment Bill.

Declaration.

12 March 2024

Honourable Chairperson,

We are standing on behalf of the African National Congress to support the report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill.

This Bill in the main, is necessitated by the amendment and the ascend of the Electoral Amendment Bill which is now an Act of Parliament. The Electoral Act was amended to effect the constitutional court order to provide for the participation of the independent candidates in the provincial and national elections.

The Electoral Matters Amendment Bill amend a number of Acts as a consequence of the amendment of the Electoral Act.

Honourable Chairperson it is important to take this opportunity to appreciate and thank South Africans from all walks of life, as individuals and as organisations or institutions for having taken their time to make comments on the Bill following the advertisement of the Bill in various media platforms.

As the Chair of the Portfolio Committee indicated, the Committee received 13 submissions which were followed by virtual public hearings in line with the submissions made.

We also like to appreciate and thank the participation of the Portfolio Committees on Communications and Digital Technologies; the Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament, the Standing Committee on Finance, and the Select Committee on Finance that were invited to attend the public hearings given that the Bill amends various Acts that affect these committees.

The importance of this Bill amongst other things is that it provides for the regulation of the private and public funding of independent candidates and independent representatives and matters incidental thereto.

The regulation of the funding for political parties and independent candidates is important for ensuring the strengthening of our democracy as well as making sure that there is transparency and accountability on the funds received by both political parties and independent candidates.

We urge this House to support this Bill to enable the participation as provided for in the Bill of both political parties and independent candidates in the coming elections in May 2024.

Contrary to the views that suggest that the Bill was rushed, the facts are that time and space were created for anybody or institutions to submit their comments on the Bill and that all members of the Portfolio Committee had an opportunity to participate and make deliberations on the Bill.

The program of processing the Bill was tabled and agreed to by the Portfolio Committee and that is what we followed as the Committee.

Once again, we stand in support of the report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill.