Civil society’s push to reform political party funding is beginning to bear fruit with the publication of the Draft Political Party Funding Bill this week. The bill proposes, among other measures, a ban on donations from foreign sources and a requirement for parties to disclose all donations above a threshold that has yet to be set. Civil society organisations have long called for Parliament to enact legislation regulating party funding, in line with AU, UN and other anticorruption codes signed by the country. Groups such as My Vote Counts have in the past instituted unsuccessful court bids to compel political parties to disclose the identities of private donors. The now defunct Institute for Democracy in SA was the first group to lodge a court application on the matter, but in 2005 the High Court in Cape Town dismissed the application. In June, the National Assembly agreed to establish an ad hoc committee to look into party funding.After receiving submissions, the committee — led b...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.