'Use electoral report, ANC'

REFORMS: EXPERTS QUERY PARTY'S MOTIVES AFTER LOSS

- Eric Naki

The ANC's decision to mobilize for electoral reforms has raised questions about the party's motive, with some seeing the move as self-serving after its May poll loss.

Experts questioned the timing, while the Van Zyl Slabbert commission's report on electoral reforms gathers dust, despite its plausible recommendations.

Among its recommendations was the implementation of a constituency electoral system. It called for 75% of public representatives to be elected directly by voters.

Although it was hailed for proposing the most progressive electoral reforms, the report gained no traction from political parties across the board. They favored the proportional representation (PR) system because it offered them a chance of obtaining a seat, even if a party obtained a fraction of the contested votes.