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About the Election

GEPF has appointed an Independent Election Management Entity which will facilitate the planning, coordination, administration and reporting on the entire process of the elections in a manner that achieves the prescripts of the GEP Law and the requirements of the Election Policy of GEPF. Downloadable copies of the Law and the Policy are available below.

Background and Context

In addition to the 8 (eight) employer trustees, the Board shall consist of eight persons referred to in the rules as 'employee trustees' who take office in terms of rule 4.1.2 read with rule 4.4.

 

The employee trustees shall consist of:

  1. one pensioner representative elected by pensioners;

  2. one person elected jointly by members employed by the South African National Defence Force and the State Security Agency; and

  3. six representatives elected and/or appointed by the labour representatives in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council, in terms of the processes adopted by the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council, with the candidates being communicated to the Fund, to depict proportionate union membership in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council.​

 

The Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council shall provide the Fund with the details of the employee trustees that have been elected and/or appointed, in terms of their internal processes, to the Board at least one month prior to the term of office of the Board ending or as soon as reasonably possible after a vacancy has arisen while a Board is in office.

Candidate Eligibility Criteria

Board Members carry an important responsibility of ensuring that the affairs of the Fund are managed in the best interest of Fund members. For this reason, Trustees must be people of integrity who are appropriately skilled and have the experience necessary to do their duties diligently.

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No person in any of the categories listed below shall be eligible for appointment or election as a trustee:

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  1. a person who has been or is found guilty of fraud, theft, forgery or producing a forged document, perjury, any offence involving dishonesty, any offence in connection with any company or public office or with the promotion, formation or management of a company or any other criminal offence by a court of law or properly constituted inquiry;

  2. a person who has been or is declared insolvent, sequestrated or placed under curatorship and has not been rehabilitated;

  3. a person who has been or is declared unfit to hold office as a public official, director of companies or any other position of trust due to mental incapacity or any other reason;

  4. a person who becomes physically unfit and due to such unfitness, he or she is not, in the opinion of the Board inconsultation with the necessary experts, capable of properly performing his or her duties should they be so elected;

  5. a person who is declared to be mentally unfit by a competent court, or is so declared incapable to handle his/her own affairs, or if he/she is detained in terms of any act as a patient in an institution, or if he/she is detained as a state patient in terms of the Mental Health Act 17 of 2002;

  6. a person who has been or is dismissed from the service of any employer or removed from any office on account of misconduct relating to dishonesty and/or incapacity;

  7. a person who is disqualified from being a director in terms of legislation;

  8. a person who has previously been removed from office or debarred by any regulatory body; and

  9. a minor or person who is legally incapable.

 

The Board is empowered during an election to withdraw a candidate from consideration for office in the event that it is determined that he or she is ineligible as set out in the criteria recorded in rule 4.4.1 of the GEP Law.

Nomination, Voting and Election Procedures

The GEP Law provides as follows for the appointment and election of Employer and Employee Representatives and substitutes to Board of Trustees:

Nomination

  1. The nomination process for submission of nominations shall be determined in accordance with the Election Policy.

  2. Each Member employed by South African National Defence Force and the State Security Agency may jointly nominate at least one candidate to stand for election to the Board as an employee trustee which candidate must be a member employed by either the South African National Defence Force or the State Security Agency. Such nomination must be seconded by another active member of the Fund employed by the South African National Defence Force and the State Security Agency.

  3. Each pensioner shall be entitled to nominate one candidate to stand for election to the Board as an employee trustee which candidate must be a pensioner member of the Fund. Such nomination must be seconded by another pensioner member of the Fund.

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Voting

  1. All duly nominated candidates shall, subject to eligibility requirements set out in the rules and the Election Policy, be placed on the ballot for election to office.

  2. The election shall occur by way of postal ballot, electronic or any other means determined by the Board as being reasonable in the circumstances.

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Election

  1. The election of employee nominees, as contemplated in rule 4.3.2 (a) and rule 4.3.2 (b), shall be held every four years and shall be determined by the Election Policy.

  2. The persons elected shall be ranked according to the number of votes received for each category of candidates.

  3. The pensioner candidate with the highest number of votes shall be the pensioner elected employee trustee.

  4. The South African National Defence Force and the State Security Agency candidate with the highest number of votes shall become an employee trustee.

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Substitute Trustees

  1. A substitute acts in the place of the trustee on behalf of whom he or she was designated as a substitute in such a trustee's absence or cessation of office, and he or she at such instance has all the competencies and obligations of a trustee.

  2. The responsible Minister shall appoint a substitute trustee for each employer appointed trustee.

  3. The pensioner candidate with the second highest votes after the candidate referred to in rule 4.5.2 (h) above, shall be the elected substitute trustee to the pensioner elected representative trustee.

  4. The South African National Defence Force and State Security Agency candidate with the second highest votes after the candidate referred to in rule 4.5.2 (i) above, shall be the elected substitute trustee to the South African National Defence Force and State Security Agency elected trustee.

  5. The Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council shall provide the Fund with a list of substitute trustees relevant to the elected Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council trustees, to depict the proportionate union membership in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council.

  6. If for any reason the elected trustee or substitute are unable to take office or to continue in office then the person with the next highest votes, within a specific category being either pensioner or South African National Defence Force and State Security Agency elected trustee, will be approached to take office as trustee and/or substitute, and remain in office subject to the rules. This process shall be followed, by way of the highest number of votes next received taking office, until such time as there are no candidates available, in which case an election will be held for purposes of the elected incumbent holding office for the remaining term of the initially elected trustee.

How will candidates be shortlisted?

All candidates will be subjected to fitness and propriety background checks. The checks will be conducted by the Independent Electoral Entity. When accepting their nomination, candidates will be required to complete and sign a Background Check Consent and Indemnity Form (Consent Form). Failure to complete the Consent Form will result in the disqualification of the candidate's nomination.

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The list of shortlisted candidates will be made available to all Active Members and Pensioners on the election website (www.gepfvote.co.za) or on request from the Independent Electoral Entity after the nomination process has closed. Any Member or Pensioner, including candidates, will have the opportunity to lodge objections against the list of shortlisted candidates.

Ground for Objections will be limited to:

  1. ​Candidate nominations that have not been submitted through the prescribed nomination rules and procedures; or

  2. Candidates who do not meet the Candidate Eligibility Criteria set out in the Electoral Policy.

 

To be considered, objections must be in writing, accompanied by verifiable evidence, and lodged with the Independent Electoral Entity within the specified time frame to be published with the Shortlisted Candidate List.

 

Upon completion of the background checks and consideration of the objections, candidates will, (before the Independent Electoral Entity makes the final decision regarding the status of their candidature) be allowed an opportunity to clarify or rectify any adverse findings against their names. Thereafter, the Independent Electoral Entity will publish the Final Candidate List which will signify the completion of the Candidate Nomination Phase.

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