Latest news with #MosothoMoepya
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Meet the candidates shortlisted for the IEC: Insights into their backgrounds
Academic records and historical background of the candidates shortlisted to fill the vacancies for three commissioners of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) have been published. Image: IOL The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) has published the academic and historical background of the candidates shortlisted to fill the vacancies for three commissioners of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). This move follows calls from civil society for a transparent nomination process, crucial for public trust and engagement in the electoral system. The calls were made by civil society organisations, such as Corruption Watch and My Vote Counts, which believe that a lack of transparency hampered the meaningful participation and commentary, and deprived the public of the chance to conduct proper due diligence on appointees who will represent their interests. The public and legal bodies have until tomorrow (July 9) to submit their comments on the nominations. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The tenures of the current chairperson, Mosotho Moepya, and commissioners, Dr Nomsa Masuku and Judge Dhaya Pillay, are expected to end on November 1. The three were appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in November 2018. Chief Justice Mandisa Maya, along with Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka, as well as the SA Human Rights Commission and the Commission for Gender Equality, drove the process of nominations, and a shortlist of 12 candidates was released in June. The list includes Moepya and Pillay. Other candidates are Advocate Geraldine Chaplog-Louw, Advocate Richard Sizane, Dr Robert Martin, Dr Rajendran Govendor, Justice Mjabuliseni Madondo, Granville Abrahams, Nkosikhule Nyembezi, Jacqueline Liberty, Joyce Palesa, and Sibongile Sigodi. Chaplog-Louw She has 27 years of experience at the senior management levels of the IEC. She has been involved in every national and provincial election, as well as local elections, since 1994. Her current responsibilities are in the area of governance and oversight. Chaplog-Louw holds various academic qualifications spanning competencies in accounting, financial management, economics, philosophy, law, and corporate governance. Sizane He is the former chairperson of the Public Service Commission, who served from 2015 until January 2022. He was also appointed as an ex officio commissioner of the Presidential Remuneration Review Commission. Sizane, a former lecturer in Constitutional law, also served on the Justice, Constitutional Affairs, and Public Administration Portfolio Committees of the National Assembly and was a member of the Constitutional Assembly. He also served as a deputy director-general of the then National Department of Provincial and Local Government, as well as the director-general of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial administration. Sizane was appointed as the chairperson of the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel in May 2024, with the primary function of considering and proposing possible reforms to the national and provincial electoral systems. Martin He has over 20 years of executive and senior management experience in higher education, as well as most areas of strategic and general management in both private and public sectors. He holds a PhD in Entrepreneurship and was the deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Venda. Govender He holds a string of academic and professional qualifications, including a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as a Post Doctoral Research Fellowship from Columbia University in New York, where he developed a leadership programme for 11 African countries. He has over four decades of experience spanning education, cultural affairs, social cohesion advocacy, and community leadership. Govender is currently a commissioner at the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission). Madondo He served as a public prosecutor, commissioner at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), and the Deputy Judge President of the KwaZulu-Natal division of the High Court. Madondo also served as an acting justice of the Constitutional Court. Abrahams He has been with the IEC for 27 years, culminating in his role as general manager of electoral operations. He was also the founding employee of the IEC in the Western Cape in 1998, where he played a vital role in establishing electoral infrastructure and operations. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Western Cape and has completed executive training in strategic leadership, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence from institutions such as the University of Pretoria and the University of Cape Town. Nyembezi He is a policy analyst, a researcher, and a human rights activist, with no party-political profile. He has served as co-chairperson of the National Coordinating Forum and has also helped facilitate inputs from various communities and individuals in the Moerane Commission of Inquiry investigating political killings in KZN. Liberty She has extensive parliamentary experience at a senior administrative level, developing policies and training manuals for members and staff. Pitso Pitso served as deputy manager of electoral matters for the IEC in KZN, and she was responsible for coordinating electoral operations, training, and political party liaison. Her journey began in 1994 with the interim IEC. Segodi She served as head of legal and executive services in the Presidency in February 2007. She also worked as the manager of legal services at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in 2004. The interviews are expected to be held on July 21 and 22, 2025.
The Citizen
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
My Vote Counts asks for extension and transparency in IEC appointments
My Vote Counts believes the notice and deadline for the IEC vacancies are too short. Chiawelo residents register to vote at Hitekani Primary School in Soweto, 19 November 2023, on the first day of the Electoral Commission of South Africa's (IEC) voter registration weekend. Picture: Nigel Sibanda / The Citizen Civil society watchdog, My Vote Counts, has questioned the short notice given by the Office of the Chief Justice to call for nominations for the filling of vacancies for three commissioners of the Electoral Commission of South Africa. Transparency and more time needed for IEC appointments My Vote Counts has asked for the process to be transparent and for sufficient notice and publicity to be given. It also wants an extension of the notice to enable a proper nomination process, including sufficient time for public scrutiny of the candidates to fulfil the transparency requirement. The Chief Justice chairs the panel that makes the commissioners' appointments. Other members of the panel are the chairpersons of the South African Human Rights Commission and the Commission for Gender Equality, and the Public Protector. The Office of the Chief Justice only issued a general notice inviting nominations of candidates to be appointed to the commission on Thursday last week, with a deadline of Friday. The issue was only gazetted on 15 April, but no publicity was given to the matter until last Thursday's General Notice. Although the posts to be filled are not specified in the notice, save for a judge who would serve, it is understood that the vacancies were meant to fill positions of commission chair Mosotho Moepya and commissioners Dr Nomsa Masuku and Judge Dhaya Pillay, whose terms will expire on 1 November. ALSO READ: 'Can you imagine our system being hacked': MPs sceptical of IEC's e-voting proposal IEC vacancies The IEC's deputy chief executive for outreach, Mawethu Mosery, confirmed that the commission had three vacancies – one for a judge and the other two for ordinary citizens. He would not say whether the three would be leaving, except to say they were also eligible for a second term. Mosery said the IEC has five commissioners, two of whom are on their second and last terms of office. With the terms for the remaining three commissioners expiring, the process to fill the vacancies has to kick off. This meant the commissioners could be reappointed for a second term but the process is open to any eligible person. My Vote Counts wants deadline extended Many in the civil society movement believe the notice and deadline were too short. The Cape-based My Vote Counts on Wednesday wrote to Chief Justice Mandisa Maya requesting an extension to the deadline. In the letter signed by My Vote Counts' executive director Minhaj Jeenah and the organisation's political system's lead Boikanyo Moloto, Maya was asked to extend the deadline. ALSO READ: ActionSA opposes My Vote Counts' party funding case – Here's why It added that the information on the notice did not seem to have been publicised widely, with no media statement or social media communication from Maya's office or the IEC. The NGO is also concerned that there has been almost no coverage of the nomination process in the media. Only a single article was published online on 16 April, followed by an advisory on the judges' website on 8 May. 'The IEC plays a crucial role in our democracy, the Commission's independence and impartiality lie at the heart of the public trust it enjoys. Trust cannot be maintained in the absence of transparency and openness. As such, it is important that competent and impartial people are appointed,' Boikanyo said in the letter. My Vote Counts also suggested that the appointment process should be widely publicised so that the public can scrutinise, monitor and engage with it. 'Given the fact that we are six months away from the conclusion of the three commissioners' term, we are requesting an extension of the deadline for the submission of nominations of electoral commissioners to 15 June. Further to this, that your office widely publicises the process, creates public awareness, thus allowing for meaningful participation,' Boikanyo said. ALSO READ: IEC official accused of stealing election ballot boxes sees discharge application rejected In early 2022, the NGO and others managed to force former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to extend the deadline after the process was similarly given a short deadline. At the time, although some publicity was given in the gazette and two Sunday newspapers, Zondo agreed to extend the deadline from 18 February to 25 February 2022.
