Multi-Stakeholder conference in Braynston
4 October 2007
You are invited to the Multi-Stakeholder Conference: Reflections on the
State of Electoral Democracy in South Africa. The conference will take place at
the Forum in Bryanston, Johannesburg from Monday, 8 October 2007 to Wednesday,
10 October 2007.
In the past the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has been engaging
role-players through party liaison committees and partnerships. These
activities intensify during elections especially when it comes to rolling out
voter education programmes. For this conference delegates have been invited
from all over the country representing various sectors, amongst others
political parties, non-governmental organisations, civil society based
organisations, faith-based organisations, academics, researchers and
representatives from the business sector.
The overall goal of the conference is to promote, create an enabling
environment and establish partnerships for the implementation of electoral
democracy development programs. Also it is the platform to profile the
organisation and the unique mandate it performs. Lastly, it is to celebrate the
Commission's achievements of the past ten years.
Media arrangements and draft programme
General notes
* all sessions of the conference will be open to the media
* all participants for the conference must be registered. Registration will
take place at the Forum Conference Centre in Bryanston from Monday, 8 October
2007 onwards. Registration will open at 08h00. Members of the media who are
interested in attending any part of the conference and are not able to register
at the mentioned times or need a map to the Forum, should visit the conference
website on http://www.elections.org.za/multistakeholderconference
or please contact:
Tumi Sethoba
Cell: 012 428 5401
Lydia Young
Cell: 082 650 8652
* Draft programme:
Monday, 8 October 2007
08h00 to 09h00: Registration of delegates at the Forum Conference Centre in
Braynston
09h00 to 10h00: Opening session
Chairperson: Fanie van der Merwe (IEC Commissioner)
Speaker: Welcome, introduction and objectives, Thoko Mpumlwana
Keynote address: Brigalia Bam (IEC Chairperson)
10h00 to 10h30: Coffee and tea break
Session one
10h30 to 11h30: Theory, concepts and practice of democracy and development of
electoral systems
Chairperson: Norman du Plessis, IEC Chief Electoral Officer
Speaker: Mcebisi Ndletyana, Senior Research Specialist, HSRC
Panellists: Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert, Pansy Tlakula, IEC Chief Electoral
Officer
11h30 to 11h30: Discussions
13h00 to 14h00: Lunch
14h00 to 15h00: IEC case study, floor-crossing
Chairperson: Mosotho Moepya, IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer
Speaker: Michael Hendricks, IEC Senior Manager Electoral Matters, National
Office
Session two
South Africa's use of floor-crossing, coalitions and alliances for entrenching
electoral democracy
Speaker: Jonathan Faull, Political Researcher, Institute for Democracy in South
Africa (Idasa) Respondents: Sipho Seepe, Director, the Graduate Institute of
Management and Technology
15h00 to 15h45: Discussions
15h45 to 16h00: Coffee or tea break
Session three
16h00 to 16h30: The practice of knowledge management for enhancing the
involvement of all stakeholders in democracy development
Chairperson: Nkaro Mateta, IEC Provincial Electoral Officer, Limpopo
Speaker: Snowy Khoza, Executive Manager, Development Bank of South
Affrica
16h30 to 17h00: Discussions
18h00 to 20h00: Cocktails at the Forum Conference Convention Centre in
Bryanston
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
09h00 to 09h15: Summary of previous day
Chairperson: Sa Ngidi, IEC Manager Electoral Matters, Gauteng
Speaker: Chumani Xotyeni, IEC Manager Registration and Voters' Roll, National
Office
Session four
09h15 to 10h00: Nexus of democracy and development in South Africa
Speaker: Ebrahim Fakir, Senior Researcher for Centre for Policy Studies
Respondent: Mohao Pheko
10h00 to 10h45: Discussions
10h45 to 11h00: Coffee or tea break
11h00 to 11h40: New approaches in an enabling environment for participating in
electoral democracy, how to create platforms for participation by
individuals?
Chairperson: Justice Bekebeke, IEC Provincial Electoral Officer, Northern
Cape
Speaker: Yasmin Sooka, Executive Director, Foundation for Human Rights
Respondent: Martinho Chachiua, Manager: Electoral Political Process, Electoral
Institute of Southern Africa (EISA)
11h40 to 13h00: Discussions
13h00 to 14h00: Lunch
14h00 to 15h00: Funding of political parties, principles, experience from other
countries and alternatives for South Africa
Chairperson: Bongani Finca, IEC Provincial Electoral Officer: Eastern
Cape
Speaker: Judith February, Programme Manager: Political Information and
Monitoring Service, Idasa
IEC case study: South African Experience of Party Funding
Speaker: Geraldine Chaplog-louw, IEC Manager Financial Management: National
Office
Respondent: Hassen Lorgat, Acting Director, Sangoco
15h00 to 16h00: Discussions
16h00 to 16h15: Coffee or tea break
Session seven
16h15 to 17h00: Elections and the media
Chairperson: Sy Mamabolo, IEC Provincial Electoral Officer, Gauteng
Speaker: Tawana Kupe, Dean: Faculty of Humanities, University of the
Witwatersrand
Respondent: JJ Tabane, CEO, Tshirundu Communications
17h00 to 17h45: Discussions
18h00 to 22h00: Dinner and entertainment at The Forum Conference Centre
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
09h00 to 19h15: Summary of the previous day
Chairperson: Mawethu Mosery, IEC Provincial Electoral Officer:
KwaZulu-Natal
Speaker: Itumeleng Masenya, IEC Manager Electoral Matters, Limpopo
Session eight
09h15 to 09h45: Inter and intra party democracy
Khabele Matlosa, Research Director, EISA
Respondents: Somadoda Fikeni, Chief Operations Officer, National Heritage
Council
09h45 to 10h30: Discussions
10h30 to 19h45: Coffee or tea break
10h45 to 12h30: Response by political parties
Chairperson: Courtney Sampson, IEC Provincial Electoral Officer, Western
Cape
Speaker: Leaders of political parties
12h30 to 13h15: Discussions
13h15 to 13h30: Vote of thanks
Speaker: Terry Tselane, IEC Commissioner
13h30: Lunch
Departure of delegates
For more information, please contact:
Lydia Young
Tel: 012 428 5425
Cell: 082 650 8652
Fax: 012 428 5429
E-mail: youngl@elections.org.za
Issued by: Independent Electoral Commission
4 October 2007
