Africa-Press – South-Africa. The 2024 elections will be “unchartered territory” for the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) due to a budget cut of close to R770 million over the medium-term.
The IEC presented its annual performance plan and budget to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday, in which it indicated that it had received a R769 749 000 budget cut over the next three years.
The IEC has R2.2 billion, around R278 million less than initially budgeted, for the current financial year.
For 2023-2024, it will have R2.2 billion less than previously budgeted – and, in 2024-2025, most likely the financial year in which the election will take place, it will have R2.3 billion, R251 million less than budgeted previously.
It means that a second registration weekend in the 2023-2024 year is not funded, Democracy Education Fieldworkers (DEFs) are not funded, and expansion staff appointment periods have been reduced.
“Further cuts will be almost impossible to absorb in a registration year, given the reductions already implemented,” reads the IEC’s presentation to the committee, which adds:
Furthermore, the operational and financial impact of legislative changes is not yet known, but may be significant.
The IEC is expecting a significant financial impact brought on by the Electoral Amendment Bill, currently before Parliament, which will amend the current legislation to allow people not belonging to a party to participate in the national and provincial elections.
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The committee is concerned about the impact the budget cut will have on the IEC.
The committee said in a statement that, while it is cognisant of the fiscal pressures facing South Africa, it believes that underfunding this important pillar of South Africa’s democracy should be reconsidered to ensure that democratic processes are not undercut.
“The unintended consequence of underfunding the IEC will have a practical impact in delivering elections that are free and fair. We are concerned that, for example, for the 2024 national and provincial elections, the budget cuts have resulted in the second registration weekend not being funded,” said committee chairperson Mosa Chabane, according to the statement.
The committee said the low voter turnout during the 2021 municipal elections emphasised the need for democracy education to encourage increased participation.
It is concerned the budget cuts will affect the ability of the IEC to fully fund initiatives to promote and foster awareness as well as participation in the general electoral processes.
“Despite these concerns, the committee has reiterated its calls on political parties and civic organisations to assist the IEC in driving educational initiatives aimed at increasing participation.
“Furthermore, the committee encouraged collaboration between the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education to incorporate voter education within the curriculum, as this will alleviate the financial pressures,” reads the statement.
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