Johannesburg- Parliament is working with the Department of Home Affairs to reform legislation that will allow independent candidates to contest national and provincial elections.
This comes after claims by One South Africa Movement leader Mmusi Maimane claimed that the so-called “Direct Elections Bills” is before Parliament and ready to be passed into law.
In a statement, Parliament said, on 4 December 2020, MP Mosiuoa Lekota introduced the “Electoral Laws Second Amendment Bill”, Bill 34 of 2020, in the National Assembly.
“On the other hand, Parliament is expecting the tabling of a bill from the Department of Home Affairs. Both Bills are intended to deal with Independent Candidates as envisaged by the Constitutional Court order,” the statement reads.
On 11 June 2020, the Constitutional Court ordered Parliament to remedy the defect in the Electoral Act to enable independent candidates to be elected to Parliament and provincial legislatures. Parliament has two years to effect the amendment.
Parliament said it was aware of the implications of the Constitutional Court’s order on its work and has put measures in place to fulfill its obligations.
It said the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has been liaising with the Department of Home Affairs as part of its oversight work on this matter to ensure that when Parliament passes a Bill providing for independent candidates, it contains a workable solution that effectively addresses the order of the Constitutional Court.
They claim that Parliament was in contempt of court is therefore unnecessarily alarmist and misleading, it said.
– SAnews.gov.za
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