2026 Board of Trustees Election
The Candidate Nomination Period for One Pensioner Trustee and One Forces Member Trustee on the Board is open and closes on 16 March 2026 at 16h00.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
READ THE FULL NOTICE BELOW
Overview of the Election
The Fund is a legal entity constituted in terms of the GEP Law, with a duly constituted Board to govern its affairs.
The Board consists of 16 Trustees, 8 (eight) of whom are employer trustees and 8 employee trustees. All 8 (eight) employer trustees are appointed by the incumbent Minister. Of the remaining 8 (eight), 6 (six) are elected/appointed by labour and the remaining 2 (two) must be elected by pensioners and active employee members of SANDF and SSA. One trustee is by law elected by pensioners and the other by SANDF and SSA employees. SANDF and SSA members of GEPF will be referred to as "Forces" throughout the election.
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In terms of the Rules the term of office of the Board is four (4) years after which an election has to take place in respect of those Trustees who are elected to office. 2026 is an election year.
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An Election Policy has been approved to provide high level guidelines on how to conduct and operate the election process.
The Independent Electoral Entity
The Election Policy requires that an independent electoral entity be appointed to oversee the nomination and election processes and ensure that elections are free and fair. The appointed entity for this year's trustee elections is KDBS Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
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According to the Election Policy (Clause 9.3), the independent electoral entity shall:
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Provide independent oversight and advisory input into the communication, nomination, verification and voting processes;
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Draft and apply election guidelines to be used in cases of, for example, a tie of votes, suspected improper conduct or fraudulent activities by any person, spoilt nomination forms and/or ballot papers, late receipt of nominations and/or ballot papers, appeals or any other complaints or irregularities;
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Oversee the nomination process as well as the seconding of nominations; receive, verify and capture the details of the nominations submitted including the acceptances by each candidate;
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Attend to the vetting of each candidate against the eligibility requirements as set out in the Rules and then forward the names of eligible candidates to the Returning Officer for inclusion on the ballot papers;
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Oversee the voting process including ensuring that there are no duplicates in the votes, capture details of the votes cast and forward the name(s) of the successfully elected candidates together with an election report to the Returning Officer;
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Deal with disputes or objections to nominations and report observations, discrepancies and recommendations to the Returning Officer accordingly.
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