Parliament says the claim by One South Africa Movement leader Mmusi Maimane that the so-called “Direct Elections Bill” is before it and ready to be passed is incorrect and misleading.
It says it only knows about an Electoral Laws Second Amendment Bill that was introduced by COPE leader Mosioua Lekota in December last year.
Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo says there is a second Bill expected to be tabled by the Department of Home Affairs.
He says both Bills seek to amend legislation to allow Independent Candidates to be elected to provincial and national elections, as directed by the Constitutional Court in June last year.
He says Parliament was given two years to remedy the defect in the Electoral Act.
“Parliament is aware of the implications of the Constitutional Court’s order on its work and has put measures in place to fulfil its obligations. The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has been liaising with the Department of Home Affairs as part of its oversight work on this matter to ensure that when Parliament passes a Bill providing for independent candidates, it contains a workable solution that effectively addresses the order of the Constitutional Court. Therefore the claim that Parliament is in contempt of court is unnecessarily alarmist and misleading.”
Mmusi Maimane on the performance of Independent Candidates:
