The FW de Klerk Foundation has formally written to Parliament to request urgent clarity on the programme, process and timelines for finalising its consideration of the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel’s (“ERCP”) consolidated report.

The Foundation’s letter highlights concern about delays in the parliamentary process at a time when the window for meaningful electoral reform ahead of the 2029 national and provincial elections is rapidly narrowing. 

“Electoral reform is fundamentally about whether citizens can meaningfully hold politicians, as their elected representatives, to account,” said Christo van der Rheede, Executive Director of the FW de Klerk Foundation. “The current system is criticised for making politicians accountable to their party leaders, instead of citizens.”

In its correspondence, the Foundation emphasises Parliament’s legal obligation to consider the ERCP report in a manner that gives practical effect to the Electoral Amendment Act, 2023 and preserves a real opportunity for meaningful reform in time for the 2029 elections.

“This is not an abstract policy debate. It is about whether Parliament fulfils its legal and constitutional duties in a way that makes meaningful reform possible,” said Daniela Ellerbeck, an attorney and the Foundation’s Constitutional Rights Programme Manager. “Every narrowing of the timeline decreases the chance to reform the system in a way that gives power to the people.”

The Foundation further stresses that the reform process is inherently complex and if the timetable becomes compressed to the point that meaningful reform is no longer practically achievable, there is a real risk that the purpose of the Act will be defeated. Continued delay may, therefore, amount to a failure to give effect to Parliament’s legal obligations under the Act and its constitutional duties.

“Delay is not neutral,” Van der Rheede added. “If Parliament does not act in time, any future reform risks becoming irrelevant to the next election cycle. That would undermine both the purpose of the legislation and the broader constitutional framework for democratic governance.”

The Foundation has called on Parliament to act immediately to ensure that Parliament can discharge its responsibilities lawfully and effectively. 

“South Africans deserve a system where public representatives are answerable to the people they serve,” concludes Ellerbeck. “No reform is not an option.”