ANC U-turns on private funding

Proposal for public scrutiny of private donations

The ANC has made a U-turn on private political donations.

Yesterday, ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu proposed that parliament should craft a piece of law to ensure transparency and public accountability in the private funding of parties.

He also said he wanted public funding of political parties increased, saying the R150million to be shared proportionally among 12 parties represented in parliament in this financial year is a “pittance”.

His proposal on private funding marks a serious departure from the ANC’s previous stance on the matter, in which his predecessor Stone Sizani and parliament successfully challenged an application in the Constitutional Court in 2015 that sought to force parties to disclose their private donors.

Mthembu said he would soon be tabling a motion in the National Assembly, calling for the creation of an ad hoc committee to develop legislation and policies on increased public funding of political parties and regulations to allow public scrutiny of private donations.

Mthembu said he wanted his proposed ad hoc committee to conclude its work by December. “We are late, but better late than never,” he said in response to the timing of his proposal.

The issue of private political funding has been on the agenda for years, with pressure groups arguing that secret donations to parties was a danger to democracy as they could allow undue influence on the affairs of political parties.

The critics have also argued that anonymous party funding created space for corruption to thrive, especially among political formations in charge of various spheres of government.

Mthembu said the ad hoc committee would decide if private funding should be completely banned or be regulated.