Participants at a roundtable discussion in Johannesburg organised on Saturday as part of the Constitution Conference focused on governance and the electoral system.
The executive director of the Council for the Advancement of the Constitution (Casac), Lawson Naidoo, said South Africa’s electoral system is flawed and needs a new one that is in line with the objectives and developments of society.
He noted that the change in the electoral system is possible due to the ruling of the Constitutional Court, explaining that according to the unconstitutional electoral law, the election of citizens to the national assembly and legislatures is only possible if they belong to political parties, which makes the choice of the electoral system a political and not a judicial decision.
Similarly, the official pointed out that the Judicial Commission for the Fight against State Capture, known as the Zondo Commission, revealed a fundamental lack of accountability, insofar as deputies are disconnected from the people.
Panel moderator Mandisa Mashego said the electoral system has not brought prosperity to South Africans and therefore we need to stop defending old opinions.