The Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) will be holding its elections for new trustees from January to May 2022.

GEPF elections are held every four years and are an opportunity for pensioners and members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and State Security Agency (SSA) to be involved in choosing their representatives on the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

Those elgible to vote will elect a member trustee and a substitute trustee representing pensioners, as well as one member trustee and a substitute trustee representing the active members of the SANDF and SSA.

The elections also offer an opportunity for qualifying GEPF members to raise their hand and offer their services as a trustee representing their fellow members’ interests.

The Board of Trustees has an important responsibility in managing the fund, so it is important for members of the SANDF/SSA and pensioners to participate in the process and elect trustees who are honest, accountable, responsible, and have the appropriate skills and experience to discharge the duties of a trustee.

It is for this reason that anyone who is insolvent or has been removed from office due to misconduct, or has been convicted at any time of theft or fraud or any offense under the Prevention of Corruption Act, will be disqualified from standing for nomination.

Candidates who pass the nomination audit process will be subjected to a verification process. After the verification process is concluded, the final list of candidates will be published on the GEPF website for information purposes. At this stage, any objections to proposed candidates can be lodged by pensioners and members or SANDF/SAA members.

Once the nomination process is complete, members will be notified of the final list of nominees and the process to cast their vote.

The nomination of candidates

Each pensioner member of the GEPF who is not disqualified from becoming a trustee, is eligible for nomination. The same criteria apply to active members employed by the SANDF and SSA who wish to stand as trustees representing their organisations.

A pensioner member wishing to stand as a candidate (nominee) must be nominated by another pensioner (nominator) who is a member of the GEPF. A GEPF pensioner must also second the nomination. Both the nominator and the seconder must be pensioners as defined in the GEP Law and Rules.

For the nomination of the SANDF and SSA trustee, the nominee must not only be nominated by another member, but must also be seconded by ten (10) other seconders. Both the nominee, nominator and the ten seconders must be active members employed by SANDF and SSA.

The GEPF has appointed the Election Management Consulting Agency of Africa (EMCA), an independent company, to manage and administer the electoral process and to uphold the independence and integrity of the process and its outcome.

Details of the two election processes are available on the GEPF’s website.