SA voters want ability to recall poor-performing elected public representatives

JOHANNESBURG - South African voters want the ability to recall poor-performing elected public representatives.

This is contained in the discussion papers for the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel.

The panel was convened in 2024 to look at ways to improve the country’s electoral system.

The Electoral Reform Consultation Panel received 348 submissions from organisations, political parties, and other stakeholders on how to improve the country’s election systems.

In its discussion papers, the panel said that one of the key themes from the submissions was the need to create a mechanism for voters to be able to recall public representatives.

The panel’s scope is limited only to national and provincial elections, which only recently allowed for voters to elect their public representatives through the independent candidate system.

However, an independent candidate is yet to be elected in the National Assembly or any of the country’s provincial legislatures.

This means the power to recall poor-performing public representatives rests with their political parties.