The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) needs to adopt the electronic voting system soon, candidates vying to become commissioners said during interviews.
The interviewing panel, chaired by chief justice Mandisa Maya, on Monday began interviewing the first leg of 11 candidates shortlisted to fill three vacancies for commissioners at the IEC.
The interviewing panel included public protector Kholeka Gcaleka, SA human rights commission (SAHRC) chair Chris Nissen and commission for gender equality chair Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale.
The commissioners will have to hit the ground running as the commission is preparing for the 2026 local government elections.
UN elections adviser Joyce Pitso told the panel SA should take the lead with the electronic voting system,and load-shedding would not be a threat.
Pitso, who has formed part of election advisories in several countries including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Lesotho, said machines used for the electronic vote can operate for 18 hours without the need for charging.
They also do not use the internet and would work well in rural parts of the country.
“I want to allay fears of South Africans. The machines used are like calculators, they do not need the internet. You vote for the candidate and it is calculated automatically. The only time the internet is needed is when you link the voting results to the national voting system,” she said.
The system would also save the IEC time.
“Normally, counting takes four hours and the staff are prone to making mistakes because they are tired. With electronic voting IEC headquarters would receive the results within an hour.”
Pitso told the panel she was an acting chief technical adviser to Nigeria’s National Electoral Commission (Inec) in 2011, which had 74-million turning out to vote.
The IEC’s former election matters GM Granville Abrahams said nothing stopped the commission from implementing an electronic voting system.
“We have done the research and have put it all in a book. Electronic voting is something practical,” he said.
The commission needed to start educating voters on the system and could implement it after approval from parliament.
IEC chair Mosotho Moepya, shortlisted to contest for a second seven-year term, told the panel electronic voting might be possible by 2034.
“Everything we do in this country is electronic except for the act of voting and counting the votes. Those are the last major challenges we face.
“From where I sit the case has already been made but we need to make the time to sell it to the nation. I think in 2034, you will most likely begin to vote electronically. That work will have to begin now.”
Everything we do in this country is electronic except for the act of voting and counting the votes. Those are the last major challenges we face.
— IEC chair Mosotho Moepya
Moepya said even with electronic voting, voters would likely vote at central stations, not at their homes.
“When you think of electronic voting, in that elementary level, it can happen in this country tomorrow.”
A decrease in voter turnout in the last general elections, from 66% in 2019 to 58.64%, was an important point for the panel, who kept grilling candidates on what could be done to boost voter participation.
Anthropologist Dr Rajendran Govender, a cultural, religious and linguistic (CRL) rights commission part-time commissioner, proposed the IEC could set up voting booths at shopping malls.
He said thousands of people used the voting day holiday to shop.
Govender said he had done research and found there were about 836,000 retail workers.
“They do not vote after finishing work. We are losing out on retail workers. We need to collaborate with retail for pop-up voting stations,” he said.
Former KwaZulu-Natal deputy judge president Mjabuliseni Madondo, 72, faced questions about his age and whether it could be a disadvantage.
Madondo’s only competition in the race is judge Dhaya Pillay, aged 67.
According to the law, the commission consists of five members, one of which has to be a judge.
“My age may disturb some other people who tend to forget and overlook the experience, knowledge and the contribution I may make [to the IEC]. People should not be carried by youth only but by sensible judgment. I am in good health,” Madondo said.
During his interview, Madondo told the panel he believes one of the ways he would propose to boost voter turnout is to partner with traditional leaders in rural areas.
Other candidates interviewed on Monday included judge Pillay and advocate Geraldine Chaplog-Louw, who worked as the chief audit executive for the commission.
Former public service commission chairperson advocate Richard Sizani withdrew his candidature before the interviews.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.