The defiance of the party whip by party members implicitly goes against South Africa’s proportional representation (PR) list electoral system, where party bosses have substantial control over candidate selection. With lawmakers at national level not dependent on constituencies, many opposition parties and civil society groups believe ANC MPs do not adequately represent the electorate, while opaque party funding rules mean parties could be beholden to unseen private backers.
Civil society fears over the institutional independence of the independent electoral commission (IEC) will grow ahead of the 2019 poll.
Overhaul of public funding for parties, without concomitant regulation of private donations, could potentially hurt smaller parties.
Growing voter apathy may undermine broader civil society attempts at a mass grassroots electoral reform campaign.
