We are currently experiencing high inquiry volumes, which may delay our response.
The Electoral Reform Consultation Panel (ERCP) was established in May 2024 under the Electoral Amendment Act of 2023 to review South Africa’s electoral system following a Constitutional Court ruling on independent candidates. Between late 2024 and early 2025, the panel consulted widely with the public, institutions, and key stakeholders, including written and online engagements and a national conference. Operation Watershed participated through a written submission, online engagement with the panel and the diaspora, and attendance at the final conference prior to the submission of recommendations to Parliament. Due to differing views within the panel, two final reports were ultimately submitted.
Final Reports
On Thursday, 18 September 2025, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, tabled the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel’s (ERCP) report in Parliament.
Adv Sizani: ERCP Chairperson's Letter
Detailed breakdown of the differences between the two reports
Summary of the differences between the two reports
Key documents
1. The Electoral Reform Consultation Panel (ERCP) Discussion Paper, November 2024.
2. Statement on Publication of Public Submissions, Conference Dates and 3-Month Extension, April 2025.
3. Multilingual version of ERCP Discussion Paper.
4. ERCP PowerPoint presentation on Discussion Paper.
5. Report of the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) On Electoral Reform, 9 June 2021.
6. Van Zyl Slabbert Electoral Task Team Report
7. High-Level Panel on the Assessment of Key Legislation and the Acceleration of Fundamental Change
Public Submissions
The panel has published a list of all written public submissions following over four months of public consultation engagements across the country.
Electoral Reform Consultation Panel & Overseas Voter Survey
During October 2024 we ran an online voting survey and engaged with the ERCP chairperson, Advocate Richard Sizani and his colleagues. We submitted our final report to the ERCP along with over 300 other written submissions.
Click here to read our final ERCP Submission & Survey Results.
The ERCP spent 6 months engaging with South Africans abroad and across the nine provinces prior to a final conference held 9-10 April 2025 where special mention of our overseas engagement was noted in the Chairperson's opening speech. The panel will submit their final recommendations to the Minister of Home Affairs by yhe end of August 2025 thereafter their submission will be discussed in parliament.