Home affairs minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi says government will be introducing an electoral reform aimed at enhancing democratic political participation in the country.

He was addressing reporters during the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) media-briefing week in Cape Town, today.

He said his department had received the report of the Electoral Task Team headed by Dr Frederick van Zyl Slabbert and would present it to Cabinet shortly.

‘Further public debate regarding the recommendations contained in the report will be encouraged,’ he said.

Early last year, President Thabo Mbeki instituted a task team to conduct a nation-wide survey in an attempt to determine public opinion on the most preferred type of electoral system.

In the previous two national elections in 1994 and 1999, an electoral system of proportional representation was adopted but a new one had to be enacted for next year’s elections as the latter was only meant for the first two elections.

Last year, Dr Van Zyl Slabbert said the task team would formulate a framework upon which legislation could be passed - establishing what would become the electoral system of the country from the 2004 elections.

With regard to next year’s elections, Buthelezi said the department had made necessary arrangements to assist eligible voters who were still not in possession of bar-coded identity documents to obtain them in time for voter registration.

‘An urgent appeal is made to all such persons not to delay their applications to the last moment,’ he pleaded. -BuaNews