Rev Sy Mamabolo: The Deacon Who Runs SA’s Elections

When we went to the polls on May 29, the election process was overseen by a deacon of the Catholic Church. Daluxolo Moloantoa spoke with Rev Sy Mamabolo.

Since 1994, the Church has played a pivotal role in the electoral process in South Africa. This has been carried out through, for example, voter education programmes managed by various dioceses, from the first national elections up to the recent May 29 elections, and by election observers at polls, provided by the Church.

Unbeknown to many Catholics, an ordained deacon has been at the helm of the elections process over many years, including this year’s general election. Deacon Sy Mamabolo is the chief electoral officer of the Independent Elections Commission (IEC).

“I am a proud Catholic, and I am deeply humbled to be able to bring God into this crucially important civic duty,” he told The Southern Cross in an interview.

Mamabolo was born on August 30, 1971, at Holy Cross Maternity Hospital, which is run by the Holy Cross Sisters in Lady Selbourne in Pretoria. He grew up in Tembisa, and attended pre-school there at an educational institute run by the Benedictine Sisters. His mother was a member of St Anne Sodality at his home parish, St Vincent’s in Tembisa, where the devoutly Catholic family attended Mass every Sunday.

Daily prayers

That faith foundation has remained with him, even if it took an awakening — but more of that later.

“I pray twice a day, in the morning and evening. I pray for my family, for my country, and equally important, for the duty that has been bestowed upon me in leading our country’s electoral processes,” he said.

The general election 2024 is done, and work now focuses on the next local elections, scheduled for 2026.

Mamabolo’s desk in his office at Election House in Centurion is decorated with pictures of his two children, and one of himself in his deacon’s dalmatic and stole, an expression of love for his Catholic faith and role in the Church.

After completing both his primary and high schooling in Tembisa, Mamabolo studied at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in arts in 1995 and a master’s in management in 2002.

Student activist

In the 1980s his attention was focused on local civic and political issues in Tembisa. “As a high school student, I became involved in the student movement of the time under the banner of the Mass Democratic Movement. Later on at university, my involvement led me to various appointments to positions of leadership, culminating in my election to the Wits Student Representative Council (SRC) in 1993,” he said.

His strong civic and academic background provided a firm foundation for his career in public administration and electoral management. “My education and civic activities in my hometown of Tembisa and at Wits University were instrumental in shaping my commitment to transformation and social justice in South Africa,” he said.

Mamabolo is now an “old-hand” in elections management. His is a career spanning 20 years and counting, and one that has focused on the advancement of electoral administration and public service.

Before ascending to his present role of chief electoral officer in October 2017, he served as the IEC’s deputy chief electoral officer for five years, during which he oversaw operations for the 2014 national and provincial elections and the 2016 municipal elections, ensuring that polls were conducted smoothly and fairly. He also headed legislative amendments in parliament for the past two general elections.

His expertise extends beyond South Africa. Mamabolo has travelled extensively to promote good governance and credible elections, participating in projects in countries such as Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Ghana, Liberia, Mexico, Mozambique, Panama and Zimbabwe. Notably, he was involved in the preparations for the 2006 presidential and legislative elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Faith reawakened

For some years Mamabolo had grown lukewarm in his faith. That changed dramatically when he wanted to get married.

In line with the Church’s rules, he and his future bride attended a marriage preparation course (she went on to convert to Catholicism). That course opened Mamabolo’s eyes to the faith with which he had grown up. “My faith was invigorated and my spirit was re-evangelised,” he said. Feeling renewed in his faith, he felt a call to serve God.

He became involved in his parish, serving as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist under Fr (later Bishop) Peter Holiday at Our Lady of Assumption parish in Maryvale, Johannesburg. Later he heard the call to a different vocation: in the permanent diaconate.

After four years of training, Archbishop Buti Tlhagale approved Mamabolo for the diaconate. After ordination in 2018, Mamabolo served at Maryvale parish for six years. When the preparations for the 2024 national elections were underway, Mamabolo was granted special leave from Archbishop Tlhagale to pay full attention to his duties. After the elections, he was assigned to the church of the Resurrection in Bryanston, Johannesburg.

The Catholic impact

Mamabolo said his faith intersects with his work environment in many ways. “My Catholicism has a profound impact on how I deal with other people, how I relate with other staff in the institution, and how I relate with other stakeholders. It has grounded me in principles of social justice, principles of realising the dignity of every person; even people who may be far more junior than I am. Also to be approachable, because everybody must feel comfortable to raise issues with you. That’s what my Catholicism gives me in the professional space,” he explained.

Having been raised by a hardworking and strongly pious mother, and having been educated by religious Sisters at a very young age, Mamabolo has a particular respect and admiration for women, especially those in the consecrated life.

“They have and they continue to play an enormous role, and this role has had a huge impact on thousands and thousands of people, the majority being non-Catholic, through their missionary teachings and setting up of schools, hospitals, community projects and so on. They undoubtedly helped to build the Church here in South Africa and internationally to where it is today.”

He has sincere hopes for the government of national unity. “Hopefully, the new administration will implement public policies which will affirm the full human potential and the development of all South Africans. Poverty alleviation is number one. This starts by implementing educational and job opportunities that will affirm the citizens’ place in their country, thereby making them proud to be South Africans. They must be getting an education and jobs so they can fend for themselves. These are the clear and present challenges that must be top priorities for the current administration.”

Published in the September 2024 issue of The Southern Cross magazine