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Political Party Funding Regulations to be operational by 2021: IEC

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The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has completed its two-day public hearings in Cape Town on the draft regulations of the Political Party Funding legislation. The IEC says it has received more than 4 000 submissions from across the country.

The Political Party Funding Bill was signed into law by the president earlier in 2019 after it was passed by Parliament. It prohibits funding from foreign governments and donors.

Chief Executive for Party Funding, George Mahlangu says the aim is to ensure that the regulations are implemented before the 2021 local government elections.

“Without putting a particular specific date, we are envisaging that this law should be operational by 2021 before the local government elections. Among the few milestones which we have achieved since the assenting of this act by the president in January 2019, is the development and publication for comment which are the draft regulations that we are here because of.”

Former Constitutional Development Minister, Valli Moosa has cautioned against keeping party funders anonymous. Moosa made a submission at the public hearings.

He says anonymous donations should also be discouraged.

“Anonymous funding should be discouraged, in general. Why would someone not want you to know they are donating money? Why in secret? Anonymous money, in general, we should be cautious of.”

The ANC’s acting Treasurer General, Dakota Legoete says the party will discuss the regulation of internal differences at the party’s next National General Council.

He was part of an ANC delegation that made presentations at the public hearings. He says the party is well aware of the impact money has on political parties.

“Today, we are destroying our movement; destroying one another; destroying our nation through the influence of money and patronage and we have to do something related to this. We even agreed to amend, ‘Through eye of the needle’ – our internal policy into lobbying. We even went further and want to bring at our next NGC and conference, how to regulate individual campaigns and how to fund it.”

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