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The leaders of South Africa’ s political parties will tomorrow hold a meeting with the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Brigalia Bam, and her commissioners, with a view to taking a look at our electoral processes and how these could be reviewed to help us as a nation cope with future electoral challenges. The International Conference on Sustaining Africa’s Democratic Momentum, held in Sandton last year, emphasised the importance of sufficient representation of political parties in all organs of the state where their direct participation would ensure and enhance high levels of transparency and accountability, with high levels of authority. It was at this same conference that the African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and other international electoral commissions were identified as sources of reference for the evaluation of electoral democracy. These regrettable incidents could have been avoided if the electoral processes in those countries had been continually reviewed, and systems put in place to ensure the independence of electoral commissions and polling staff — and to ensure transparency about every step of the electoral process. We need to develop a legal framework that would allow the IEC to not be at the mercy of a minister of Finance or Home Affairs when it comes to funding — such as when the IEC calls for the improvement of its infrastructure to avoid rigging or to enhance electoral processes, but the relevant ministers simply drag their feet and frustrate the institution. Also, at the administrative level, we must question the wisdom of Cosatu members (the teachers’ union, Sadtu, and other affiliates) being used as electoral officials throughout the electoral process, when Cosatu is unashamedly aligned to one of the political parties contesting elections. Learn More