Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has warned government that it is “playing a very dangerous game” by tampering with South African’s right to vote, with the adoption of the controversial Electoral Amendment Bill.

He said the Anglican Church has been monitoring the electoral reform journey closely with the hope that government would use the Constitution Court judgment to usher in a new electoral system and new leaders.

In June, the Constitutional Court ordered the Electoral Act be changed to allow independent candidates to participate in the provincial and national elections.

Parliament was given until December 2022 to finalise the Bill and last month the National Assembly adopted the controversial Bill.

Civil society organisations have been urging MPs to reject the Bill, saying if it is passed, Parliament will jeopardise citizens’ right to vote and cause injustice to the country’s democracy.

Makgoba said the Anglican Church did not endorse the current Electoral Amendment Bill as it believed that the Bill did not fulfil the principle of the one man, one vote of equal value.

“Our country and people deserve better and we are heading for disaster if the voices and concerns of civil society are not taken seriously. These are the voices that will give the system credibility. Our plea is for the National Council of Provinces to do all in its mandated authority to remedy the constitutional flaws in the Bill so that we can have an Electoral Act that can truly enhances the much needed accountability we desire for our public servants and to give back the power to the people where it belongs,” said Makgoba.

The South African Council of Churches (SACC) also lent its voice against the Bill. 

“Political parties are being advantaged by the Bill as it stands presently and we have to reject that. We support the principle of political accountability, which is fundamental to the shift that we want to see - that politicians have to be held accountable, because we now suffer from the consequences of the lack of accountability that has been prevalent by virtue of political party bosses wielding the power,” it said.

It highlighted that politicians must be reminded that they were expected to exercise servant leadership or else be removed from those positions.

Meanwhile, the SACC said civil society must approach the Constitutional Court to remedy the Electoral Amendment Bill, saying if the Court did not intervene, the change to afford people the right to be candidates will not be honoured.

“So we support the notion that we go back to the Constitutional Court, irrespective of what happens because we now clearly understand that even the NCOP is not going to be able to do what has to be done because the political will is lacking,” said the SACC.