South Africa: Electoral Commission and Sanef Host 'Media in Elections' Training Ahead of 2024 Elections

8 August 2023
Government of South Africa (Pretoria)
press release

Electoral Commission and South African National Editors' Forum host 'Media in Elections' training ahead of 2024 Elections

The provisions of the Electoral Amendment Act, the new legal framework governing the 2024 National and Provincial Elections, were extensively outlined to over 80 journalists and editors who attended a 'Media in Elections' training session held in Johannesburg on 8 August 2023.

The one-day training was hosted by the Electoral Commission and the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF)

The Electoral Commission leadership, led by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sy Mamabolo, outlined the road to the 2024 elections, as well as the provisions of the Electoral Amendment Act, which has paved the way for the participation of candidates not linked to a political party.

Masego Sheburi, Deputy CEO for Electoral Operations, explained the impact of the Electoral Amendment Act on operations. He also spoke about the regulation amendments that the Electoral Commission has published for public comment, to align current regulations with the new legislation.

The Electoral Commission's call for public comment on the amendments can be found here: Electoral Commission calls for public comment on Regulations supporting the Electoral Amendment Act.

George Mahlangu, the Deputy CEO responsible for Political Party Funding, presented the success and challenges that the Commission has experienced in the first year of the implementation of the Political Party Funding Act.

Advocate Rekha Raath, Senior Manager in the Commission's Legal Services department, explained the role of the Electoral Court, the Electoral Code of Conduct, and what constitutes prohibited conduct during elections.

Raath also spoke about the role of the media in elections.

The presentation by Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) focused on its partnership with the Electoral Commission and social media platforms to eradicate misinformation and disinformation. MMA assisted journalists with resources for election coverage.

Finally, the Press Council of South Africa and SANEF presented electoral guidelines for broadcasters, as well as print and digital media.

The Electoral Commission and SANEF plan to hold similar training sessions in other provinces. Details will be announced soon.

Presentations made at the Media in Elections training will be posted on www.elections.org.za.

For media queries, please contact:

Kate Bapela

Cell: 082 600 6386

For media interviews:

Email: spokesperson@elections.org.za

Read the original article on Govt of SA.

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