About the Election

As required by the Election Policy, the Fund has established a Trustee Elections Committee (''TEC") which will facilitate the planning, coordinating, investigating, administering and reporting of the entire process of the elections in a manner that achieves the policy principles set out in the Policy. The process for nomination and election of Board Members is determined by the Election Policy. A downloadable copy is available below.

Download Election Policy

Background and Context

Section 7A of the Pension Funds Act No. 24 of 1956 requires the EPPF to have a board and the election procedure, appointment and term of office of the board must be set out in the Rules of the Fund. To that end, the Rules provide that the Fund shall be governed by a Board comprising fourteen ( 14) Board Members. In terms of the Rules, the term of office of the Board is four (4) years, after which an election has to take place. The procedure for the election and appointment of the Board is set out in the Rules.

The term of office of the current Board expires on 31 May 2024. The process of electing Trustees to the new Board, whose term will commence on 1 June 2024, is now underway.

The Board election process will run between 7 August 2023 and 30 April 2024, whereafter a new Board will be finalised and ready to take office on 1 June 2024.

To understand the election process, the rules and procedures to be followed, and related deadlines, please read the information below and the upcoming Election Guides.

The election process is regulated by the Fund Rules, which prescribe that the seven elected member and pensioner trustees be allocated to the following categories:

Pensioners (including Deferred Pensioners) elect two Board Members.
Employees belonging to the Non-Bargaining Unit, elect two Board Members.
Employees belonging to the Bargaining Unit represented by the three trade unions recognised by Eskom (NUM, NUMSA and Solidarity) elect three Board Members – one Board Member per trade union. The trade union Board Members, however, do not necessarily have to be members of the Fund.

To ensure a free and fair election, an independent body, KDBS Consulting (KDBS), will oversee the election process. Feel free to direct all your election-related queries to KDBS for the attention of Mr Thobile Thomas who is the Independent Electoral Officer.

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.

The Fund Rules disqualify the following persons from standing as candidates for election as the Fund Board Members.

Any person who:

Is employed by the EPPF
Is a member of the Executive Committee of the Principal Employer or a member of its governing board
Has been or is found guilty of fraud, theft, forgery or uttering 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 anyother criminal offence by a court of law or properly constituted inquiry
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, criminal record or any other reason
Has been, was or is removed from office as a Board Member in terms of Section 3.7.4 of the Rules
Has served as a Board Member for two consecutive terms in terms of Section 3.5.2 of the Rules
Has been removed as, or refused to be allowed to become, or has been found unfit and proper to be approved for becoming a Board Member by the Financial Services Board
Has been or is dismissed from the service of any employer on account of misconduct and/or incapacity
Is disqualified from being a director in terms of an order under the Companies Act, 2008
Has previously been removed from office by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA)
Fails to meet the level of skills and training as may be prescribed by the FSCA from time to time within the period specified in the Pension Fund Act No. 24 of 1956 (The ACT)

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 Officer. 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.

The list of shortlisted candidates will be made available to all members on the election website (www.eppfelection.co.za) or on request from the independent Electoral Officer after the nomination process has closed at 16:30 on 6 October 2023. Any Fund member, including candidates, will have the opportunity to lodge objections against the list of shortlisted candidates.

Grounds for such objections will be limited to:

Candidate nominations that have not been submitted through the prescribed rules and procedures; or
Candidates who do not meet the Candidate Eligibility Criteria set out in the Fund Rules and Electoral Policy.

To be considered, objections must be in writing, accompanied by verifiable evidence, and lodged with the Independent Electoral Officer 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 Officer 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 Officer will publish the Final Candidate List which will signify the completion of the Candidate Nomination Phase.

Candidat Eligibility Criteria

Phases of theElection

Phases of the Electoral Process

Nominations
Phase

The Candidate Nomination Phase is an opportunity for members to nominate preferred and eligible people to stand as candidates for election as Board Members.

Pensioners, deferred pensioners and in-service (non-bargaining unit) members each have a right to submit up to two names to the IEO using the various methods available to them.

Each of the three trade unions (NUM, NUMSA and Solidarity) representing the Bargaining Unit members elect one Board

Member per Trade Union. For the purposes of the candidate nomination phase, however, each of the three trade unions is required to submit three candidates who must be nominated by their Union's respective members to stand as candidates for election as Bargaining Unit Trustees.

All candidates will be subjected to fitness and propriety background checks. The checks will be conducted by the Independent Electoral Officer. When accepting their nomination, candidates will be required to complete and sign a Background Checks Consent and Indemnity Form. Failure to complete the consent form will result in the disqualification of the candidate nomination.

Click below for more information.

Download Election Guide

Voting
Phase

The Voting Phase is an opportunity for you to vote for your preferred candidates from the candidates who are shortlisted during the Candidate Nomination Phase.

A list of all vetted and eligible candidates together with their resumes and manifestos will be made available on the website ahead of the commencement of voting.

You will be allowed to vote for a predetermined minimum and maximum number of candidates. The thresholds will be announced closer to voting time. The rules will also be clear on all ballots. Candidates who receive the most number of votes will be deemed elected to the Board as Trustees from the pensioners and deferred pensioners.

Voting for less than the minimum or more than prescribed maximum number of candidates will render your ballot invalid and your votes will be disregarded during the counting process.

You will have a choice of casting your votes through any one of the following voting channels:

Postal Voting

Online Voting

USSD Voting

SMS Voting

Onsite Voting

More information will follow closer to te commencement of voting.

Counting and Results Phase

The first set of results will be issued as provisional results and shall be subject to objections that may be raised by any voter.

Voters are encouraged to raise any issue that they may have observed or experienced which may compromise the freeness and fairness of the electoral process and outcome.

Objection forms will be made available electronically and manually for the convenience of voters.

Objections will be adjudicated by the Independent Electoral Officer (IEO) based on evidence that is submitted as proof that the electoral code or rules were transgressed. The IEO's ruling may be challenged via an electoral tribunal that will be set up closer to the time. A final result shall then be issued and published for the benefit of all voters.

The provisional and final results will be a composite result from all votes received using the different and varied voting methods.

More information will be made available at the commencement of the counting and results phase.