IEC CHAIR
Ramaphosa appoints Mosotho Simon Moepya as new elections boss
On Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Moepya as the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, effective from 15 October 2022.
In a statement issued by the presidency, Spokesperson to the President Vincent Magwenya noted that President Cyril Ramaphosa had appointed Mosotho Simon Moepya IEC chairperson in terms of Section 8 (1) of the Electoral Commission Act 1996.
The statement continued, “Mr Moepya has extensive knowledge and experience of the powers and functions of the Electoral Commission.
“He has served as a full-time member of the Electoral Commission since 2018 after holding various senior positions in the Commission since 1998.”
Moepya previously served as Chief Electoral Officer of the IEC, a position he assumed on 14 February 2012. People’s Assembly — a website that aims to promote accountability and “bridge the gap between ordinary people and their elected representatives” — notes that he joined the commission in 1998 as Manager of Electoral Logistics and occupied the posts of Senior Manager: Electoral Logistics, Planning and Voting Station Infrastructure and Deputy Chief Electoral Officer in 2001.
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The commission states on its website that, prior to his appointment as a Member of the Commission, the new chairperson “completed several continental consulting assignments in the management of elections, democratic governance, peacebuilding and electoral conflict resolution.
“These assignments included work completed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International Idea), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (Eisa) and the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC Countries.”
The IEC added that Moepya has “covered various election-related assignments in diverse jurisdictions, including Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Comoros, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.”
In the statement, President Ramaphosa wished Moepya well in his new role. DM
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Is Moepya just another ANC cadre appointed to look after the ANC’s electoral interests or is he fiercely independent and will go the extra mile to protect the integrity of the IEC ? The article is silent on this crucial attribute of the appointee! Time will tell.
I agree. But at least he has been appointed by Ramaphosa and not Zuma. I think Ramaphosa’s experience in big business has shown in the way he works when appointing persons. He clearly tries to appoint people who can do the job.
So he has never had a proper job.
Oh dear, more of the same.