Regulation of party funding legislation on track
PARLIAMENT is on track to meet its own deadline of coming up with draft legislation to regulate the funding of political parties.
The 11-member ad hoc committee on party funding has been hard at work since the national legislature passed a resolution for its establishment in June.
It has until the end of the month to report back to the National Assembly on its work.
Speaker Baleka Mbete had previously told Parliament she wanted legislation on the funding of parties to be concluded before the term of the current Parliament ended in 2019.
Committee chairman Vincent Smith said they would deliberate on the submissions obtained from civil society, academics, private people and the business community.
“The committee will now start fine-tuning and panel beating the proposed bill so that we meet our deadline of the end of the month to present to the National Assembly.”
The bill provides for parties represented in legislatures and Parliament to disclose their source of funding to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and also submit audited statements at specified intervals.
The bill also provides for banning of foreign funding but it allows funding for skills and development training.
However, it has been criticised for not catering for parties and independent candidates represented in municipal councils and for lack of incentives for private donors.
Despite some of its shortfalls, it has been generally welcomed with the capacity of the Independent Electoral Commission to manage the disclosure of party funders being raised in some quarters.
Last week, the IEC told the committee it would need at least R45 million, with R11m to be spent on staff and R33m on operational costs in the first year the new law was implemented.
The electoral body had said it wanted to establish a business unit with its own accounting officer to manage the issues of party funding.