As part of electoral reform, EFF wants voting age lowered to 16
The red berets are among major opposition parties that have rejected the composition of an Electoral Reform Consultation Panel, which will have to consider such proposals ahead of the 2029 elections.
FILE: An official helps a citizen register for elections. Picture: Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) want the voting age to be lowered to 16 years and a voting registration requirement to be scrapped.
The red berets are among the major opposition parties that have rejected the composition of an Electoral Reform Consultation Panel, which will have to consider such proposals ahead of the 2029 elections.
The parties say not all of the nine candidates selected by the Home Affairs Minister have the requisite experience, adding that the panel is not representative of the country’s demographics.
The panel will have a year from this year’s election to report to Parliament on whether electoral reform is necessary.
After a second call for nominations, opposition parties are more unhappy than they were before with the composition of the panel.
They have flagged the inclusion of former Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa chairperson Pansy Tlakula after she left the commission under a cloud 10 years ago.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)’s Liezl van der Merwe said the process has been rushed, and Parliament should have interviewed the candidates.
The IFP also disagrees with appointing two former politicians - one of whom is former Pan Africanist Congress of Azania member of Parliament Richard Sizani, who will lead the panel.
“We missed a real opportunity to bring on board new ideas, fresh blood, young people, independent experts and civil society. It’s simply, again, the recycling of cadres," said van der Merwe.
The EFF’s Thapelo Mogale has also complained of a lack of diversity on the panel.
His party has already considered the kind of electoral reform it would like to see.
“Each and every citizen of voting age must automatically be included on the voters’ roll. Furthermore, we believe the voting age should be lowered to 16 years.”
Despite objections from the Democratic Alliance, EFF, IFP, African Christian Democratic Party and Freedom Front Plus, the African National Congress has accepted the nominations for the Home Affairs Minister to make the appointments.
The panel as endorsed by the National Assembly:
Pansy Tlakula
Norman du Plessis
Mmatsi Mooki
Tomsie Dlamini
Richard Sizani
Michael Sutcliffe
Sy Mamabolo
Michael Hendrickse
Albertus Schoeman