Issued by Daniela Ellerbeck on behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation on 10/04/2025

The Electoral Reform Consultation Panel tabled its three preliminary recommendations today on how South Africa’s present 100% Proportional Representation (“PR”) electoral system for national and provincial elections should be reformed and may impact the 2029 election.

First, a variation of the current system with 200 seats distributed across nine Multi-Member Constituencies (“MMCs”) and 200 compensatory seats (“PR seats”) to ensure PR, together making up Parliament’s National Assembly’s 400 seats. “However, this option is not favoured by the Foundation, because it will discourage micro political parties, still creates a large distance between elected representatives and voters and makes it very difficult for individual candidates to contest,” states Daniela Ellerbeck, an attorney and the FW de Klerk Foundation’s Constitutional Rights Programmes Manager.

Second, 200 seats distributed across 41 MMCs in proportion to the number of registered voters in each constituency (possibly using existing municipal and district boundaries) and 200 PR seats. “While the smaller size of the MMCs would create a closer direct link between voters and their elected representatives, it would allow more than one political party to represent a constituency and may still water down accountability and make it difficult to assess the performance of individual representatives,” explains Shanees Nkandu, an intern at the Foundation.

Third, and finally, the Panel recommended 200 Single Member Constituencies (“SMCs”) seats and 200 PR seats. “The Foundation has always supported SMCs, because this option brings voters the closest to their elected representative as there is only one elected representative per constituency,” states Ellerbeck. “This makes it easier for the voter to evaluate their representative’s performance and makes the representative more accountable and responsive to voters. However, the Foundation has asked for 250 SMCs with 150 PR seats from the start. We believe the 250 v 200 SMC seats will bring the increase in accountability, responsiveness and openness required by the Constitution,” explains Ellerbeck.

“While the Foundation acknowledges the SMC option would involve significant effort, as it requires dividing South Africa into 250 SMCs. Although this option might favour large parties winning the SMC seats and potentially reduce the number of women elected as SMC representatives, the Foundation believes these can be solved through the 150 PR seats. The top priority remains solving the accountability problem as effectively as possible,” states Nkandu.

The Panel must hand over its report to the Minister of Home Affairs by 29 August 2025 (after obtaining an extension). The Minister must then table the report in Parliament by 29 September 2025.