Latest news with #SyMamabolo
Eyewitness News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
KZN IEC official accused of stealing voting material acquitted
DURBAN - The IEC official accused of stealing voting material in KwaZulu-Natal has been acquitted on all charges by the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court. Musawenkosi Mnikathi was an area manager in Imbali during the 2024 general polls. He faced charges linked to transporting voting ballots without police supervision. The Umkhonto Wesizwe Party laid charges against him, accusing him of rigging the votes. READ: Court to decide whether to criminally charge IEC official found in possession of ballot boxes Although the court earlier this year said he had a case to answer, IEC official Musawenkosi Mnikathi is now a free man. The court has found him not guilty of contravening some provisions of the Electoral Act. IEC Chief Officer, Sy Mamabolo, welcomed the ruling. "We think that they should have listened to the event organiser, which is the electoral commission, who have appointed these officers and given them the responsibility to move material,s because the absence to move materials - the electoral process would collapse at certain voting stations." He adds that it was part of Mnikathi's role to supply voting material. "It's sad that we've had to put an individual through such a solid experience; it should have never been the case."
The Citizen
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
IEC launches nationwide consultation on e-voting
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has launched a six-month national consultation process to gather feedback on the potential introduction of electronic voting (e-voting) in the country. Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday, Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said the initiative aims to gather insights from voters, political parties, interest groups and civil society organisations to shape a comprehensive policy on e-voting. 'Public trust is central to the success of e-voting. That's why it is critical that the process is open, inclusive and accessible to all South Africans,' Mamabolo said. While no decision has been made on the implementation of e-voting, Mamabolo emphasised that the IEC is carefully weighing its feasibility, taking into account South Africa's unique social and infrastructural landscape. He pointed out that successful e-voting systems depend on secure and reliable technological infrastructure, ranging from servers and power supply to stable internet connectivity. Moreover, any system adopted must bridge the country's digital divide and consider challenges such as low internet penetration, literacy gaps and accessibility for persons with disabilities. 'E-voting should not only enhance convenience and administrative efficiency, but it must also strengthen transparency, public confidence in electoral outcomes, and broaden participation across demographics.' However, Mamabolo cautioned against assuming that digital voting would automatically increase voter turnout. 'Those who have opted out of the electoral process because they feel it lacks value are unlikely to be swayed simply by a new voting platform,' he explained. Cost is also under scrutiny. Mamabolo stressed that a thorough cost-benefit analysis is essential and warned that e-voting may not necessarily lead to cost savings in the administration of elections. The announcement follows the IEC's hosting of an international conference in March, which brought together global experts and stakeholders to explore the feasibility of e-voting in South Africa. A comprehensive discussion document was launched at the event, outlining the constitutional, legal and technological considerations for such a transition. Key topics addressed in the document include: The rationale for introducing e-voting in South Africa Constitutional and legal requirements Available technologies and their cost implications Public perceptions and stakeholder concerns Insights from other countries' experiences — both successes and failures. Political party registration In another development, Mamabolo provided updates on the state of political party registration in the country. He revealed that South Africa has 609 registered political parties – 383 at national level and 226 registered at either provincial or municipal level. However, many of these parties are inactive. 'The Electoral Commission, as the official registrar, is obliged to maintain the integrity of the party register,' Mamabolo said. In February, the IEC issued written notices to 192 parties, indicating its intention to cancel their registration due to inactivity. Parties without representation in municipal councils, provincial legislatures, or the National Assembly are required by law to periodically confirm their continued existence. 'Removing inactive parties from the register not only ensures a cleaner political landscape,' Mamabolo explained, 'but also frees up names, logos, and other identifiers for new and aspiring political movements.' – Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Herald
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
IEC gives voters six months to have their say on electronic voting
The electoral commission is rolling out a six-month engagement period to receive views from stakeholders, voters and interest groups on electronic voting. In March, the commission hosted an international conference to discuss the feasibility of this form of voting in South Africa and launched a discussion document to kick-start the debate on the use of technology in elections. Electoral commission CEO Sy Mamabolo said the policy discussion document explores the reasons for the possible introduction of e-voting, the relevant constitutional principles and legal framework which must precede it, and the available options, their technologies and the costing options. The document includes discussions on the relative benefits and challenges of the diverse options, with the South African context in mind, attitudes and concerns of the public and key stakeholders regarding e-voting, opinions and preferences of marginalised groups, including people with disabilities and rural communities, experiences of jurisdictions that have successfully implemented e-voting and those that have stopped using e-voting. 'Public trust is key in the successful adoption of e-voting. It is thus exceedingly important that the process is both accessible and inclusive. Successful e-voting systems require robust, reliable technological infrastructure, including secure servers, stable power sources, and reliable internet connectivity. Implementation of e-voting must help the country transcend some of its institutionalised challenges, for example, the digital divide, low levels of internet penetration in certain social settings, illiteracy and accessibility for people with disabilities,' he said. Mamabolo added that e-voting must enhance the efficiency of election administration, transparency in elections, trust in electoral outcomes, and improved voter convenience, including the possibility of e-voting contributing to increased participation by certain demographics. 'But in and of itself, e-voting will not impact the turnout of people who have opted out of electoral processes. In other words, people who do not see value in voting will not vote just because there is a new voting platform. A thorough analysis of the total costs associated with e-voting must be undertaken. It must not be accepted as fact that e-voting would reduce the costs of administering elections.' The CEO announced the deregistration of 53 parties that have missed the expiry date within which to make representations on whether they are still active. Out of 609 registered political parties on national, provincial and municipal levels, the IEC sent notices to 192 parties notifying them of the intention to cancel their registration. Of those, 132 have petitioned to preserve their registration status, while three have requested the electoral commission to can their membership. 'Registration as a party confers certain benefits. Among those is that the electoral commission is obliged to protect the registered names, logos and abbreviated names of registered political parties. 'There are certain obligations imposed on registered parties. Included in those is that a party that is not represented in a municipal council, provincial legislature, or the National Assembly must indicate to the commission its continued existence. This prescribed indication must be received before the end of January each year.' Mamabolo announced the IEC has embarked on a campaign to appeal to the younger electorate to register for voting. Stats SA studies have shown that from 1996 to 2002, the total youth population in South Africa rose from 14.7-million to 21.6-million, which translates to an increase of 6.9-million people. This means that young people in the age cohort 18 to 34 years old thus constitute a third of the total population of the Republic. However, the CEO called it concerning that the rate of registration by this demographic has not kept pace with its growth. 'In recognition of the youthful character of the country's population, the commission persists with civic democracy drives targeting young learners and students across the country. The drive will focus on all university campuses and 180 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and private colleges nationwide, ensuring that young people are not only informed but also actively participate in electoral processes. 'Additionally, the commission is deploying campus-based registration ambassadors to assist students at the various tertiary institutions to register and update their registration details. This is crucial for ensuring that students are correctly registered and can vote at the correct voting station in future elections,' said Mamabolo. TimesLIVE
TimesLIVE
23-04-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
IEC gives voters six months to have their say on electronic voting
The electoral commission is rolling out a six-month engagement period to receive views from stakeholders, voters and interest groups on electronic voting. In March, the commission hosted an international conference to discuss the feasibility of this form of voting in South Africa and launched a discussion document to kick-start the debate on the use of technology in elections. Electoral commission CEO Sy Mamabolo said the policy discussion document explores the reasons for the possible introduction of e-voting, the relevant constitutional principles and legal framework which must precede it, and the available options, their technologies and the costing options. The document includes discussions on the relative benefits and challenges of the diverse options, with the South African context in mind, attitudes and concerns of the public and key stakeholders regarding e-voting, opinions and preferences of marginalised groups, including people with disabilities and rural communities, experiences of jurisdictions that have successfully implemented e-voting and those that have stopped using e-voting. 'Public trust is key in the successful adoption of e-voting. It is thus exceedingly important that the process is both accessible and inclusive. Successful e-voting systems require robust, reliable technological infrastructure, including secure servers, stable power sources, and reliable internet connectivity. Implementation of e-voting must help the country transcend some of its institutionalised challenges, for example, the digital divide, low levels of internet penetration in certain social settings, illiteracy and accessibility for people with disabilities,' he said. Mamabolo added that e-voting must enhance the efficiency of election administration, transparency in elections, trust in electoral outcomes, and improved voter convenience, including the possibility of e-voting contributing to increased participation by certain demographics. 'But in and of itself, e-voting will not impact the turnout of people who have opted out of electoral processes. In other words, people who do not see value in voting will not vote just because there is a new voting platform. A thorough analysis of the total costs associated with e-voting must be undertaken. It must not be accepted as fact that e-voting would reduce the costs of administering elections.' The CEO announced the deregistration of 53 parties that have missed the expiry date within which to make representations on whether they are still active. Out of 609 registered political parties on national, provincial and municipal levels, the IEC sent notices to 192 parties notifying them of the intention to cancel their registration. Of those, 132 have petitioned to preserve their registration status, while three have requested the electoral commission to can their membership. 'Registration as a party confers certain benefits. Among those is that the electoral commission is obliged to protect the registered names, logos and abbreviated names of registered political parties. 'There are certain obligations imposed on registered parties. Included in those is that a party that is not represented in a municipal council, provincial legislature, or the National Assembly must indicate to the commission its continued existence. This prescribed indication must be received before the end of January each year.' Mamabolo announced the IEC has embarked on a campaign to appeal to the younger electorate to register for voting. Stats SA studies have shown that from 1996 to 2002, the total youth population in South Africa rose from 14.7-million to 21.6-million, which translates to an increase of 6.9-million people. This means that young people in the age cohort 18 to 34 years old thus constitute a third of the total population of the Republic. However, the CEO called it concerning that the rate of registration by this demographic has not kept pace with its growth. 'In recognition of the youthful character of the country's population, the commission persists with civic democracy drives targeting young learners and students across the country. The drive will focus on all university campuses and 180 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and private colleges nationwide, ensuring that young people are not only informed but also actively participate in electoral processes. 'Additionally, the commission is deploying campus-based registration ambassadors to assist students at the various tertiary institutions to register and update their registration details. This is crucial for ensuring that students are correctly registered and can vote at the correct voting station in future elections,' said Mamabolo.
IOL News
23-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
IEC rules out electronic voting for 2026 local government elections
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is unsure whether the e-voting system will be effective in the local government elections or not. Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has indicated that electronic voting (e-voting) is improbable for the 2026 local government elections. This follows the recent IEC-hosted e-voting conference, which explored the potential transition from the current paper-based voting system to an electronic model. IEC's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Sy Mamabolo, said that while the conference was positive, it was still too early to overhaul the country's electoral system. 'It is important to note the commission has not yet made a decision on the use of e-voting, and certainly this is not contemplated for use in next year's municipal elections,' he said. However, he said the commission launched a discussion document to start a country discussion on the use of technology in elections. According to Mamabolo, the policy discussion document assessed, among others; reasons for considering the introduction of e-voting in South Africa; the relevant constitutional principles, policy and legal framework that must precede the introduction of e-voting in the country and available e-voting options, their technologies, and cost implications.
