Africa-Press – South-Africa. After six months without an Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) chairperson, President Cyril Ramaphosa filled the vacancy by appointing Mosotho Moepya, the Presidency announced on Friday afternoon.
“Mr Moepya has extensive knowledge and experience of the powers and functions of the Electoral Commission,” reads the Presidency’s statement.
“He has served as a full-time member of the Electoral Commission since 2018 after holding various senior positions in the Commission since 1998.”
His appointment will take effect on Saturday.
Ramaphosa snubbed the previous chairperson, Glen Mashinini.
Mashinini’s reappointment as a commissioner was vehemently opposed by several opposition parties, including the DA and the EFF, with the former blaming Mashinini for the problems experienced during last year’s municipal elections.
Mashinini’s first seven-year term as commissioner ended on 15 April.
He was appointed as a commissioner in April 2015 – and, in September of that year, former president Jacob Zuma appointed him as the chairperson.
In February this year, the Office of the Chief Justice called for nominations to fill the vacancy.
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs’ appointment process eventually concluded in May, with Mashinini recommended to serve another term as commissioner.
The decision was not unanimous, though, with the DA and EFF objecting to Mashinini serving another term on the commission.
The ANC’s majority saw him through.
When the committee’s report first came before the National Assembly, the ANC couldn’t muster the required 201 votes. However, at the second attempt, 219 MPs voted in favour of Mashinini’s recommendation, with 205 coming from the ANC.
Before Moepya was elected to the commission, he started working at the IEC in 1998, holding various positions, including director for electoral logistics, senior manager for electoral logistics, planning and infrastructure, deputy chief electoral officer and chief electoral officer, according to his biography on the IEC’s website.
He holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree and other commercial degrees.
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