Question NW894 to the Minister of Home Affairs
18 April 2018 - NW894
Waters, Mr M to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
What steps has the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) taken to ensure that no member of the SA Democratic Teachers' Union will be IEC officials for the forthcoming registration weekends and election days?
Reply:
The Electoral Commission responded as follows:
- The Electoral Commission has no policy of recruiting members of SADTU or members of any specific organization. To obviate possibilities of bias in the electoral process. The Commission has co-developed criteria for the recruitment of electoral staff with the National Party Liaison Committee (a committee comprising all parties represented in the National Assembly). The criteria provide, amongst others, the following elements:
- a) In the last five years the applicant must not have held political office or been a candidate in an election or have been politically active for a political party or campaigning for a political party.
- b) In the last five years the applicant must not have been elected to office in an organisation that has party political affiliations or aims.
2. The criteria are intended to exclude persons who hold active party political office. The ultimate aim is to eliminate political bias and partiality on the part of electoral staff. Additionally, the proposed staff for appointment is presented to Municipal Party Liaison Committees for screening with a view to give parties an opportunity to object to the inclusion of persons with known active political involvement.
3. To exclude applicants on the basis of membership of a trade union would constitute discriminatory practice and be open to constitutional and legal challenge. Expenses in such litigation may result in wasteful expenditure.
4. The Commission has over the last few elections being proactively recruiting unemployed young persons. Concomitant with this there has been a progressive reduction in the number of teachers employed. The attached tables present figures relative to the use of young persons as well as the teachers per election:
AGE ANALYSIS |
TOTAL STAFF RECRUITED |
35 and Below |
% Youth |
2009 NATIONAL ELECTIONS |
201 328 |
120 882 |
60% |
2011 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS |
198 227 |
120 836 |
61% |
2014 NATIONAL ELECTIONS |
213 318 |
126 091 |
59% |
2016 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS |
207 015 |
123 873 |
60% |
TEACHERS |
TOTAL STAFF RECRUITED |
Teachers |
% |
2009 NATIONAL ELECTIONS |
201 328 |
35 544 |
18% |
2011 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS |
198 227 |
27 675 |
14% |
2014 NATIONAL ELECTIONS |
213 318 |
24 065 |
11% |
2016 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS |
207 015 |
18 918 |
9% |