Parties back funding disclosure work

ALL the parties in Parliament have backed the ANC’s call for an ad hoc committee to be set up to examine the regulation of party funding.

But they also want such a committee to investigate the investment arms of parties that fund them and the tenders used to inject funds into party coffers.

At a meeting of the programming committee yesterday ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu introduced the matter – and all the parties backed the proposal.

This followed the approval of the ANC proposal by chief whips of parties on Wednesday.

Mthembu said since they made the announcement last week a number of civil society organisations had backed them.

He said it was important for the public to know who was funding their parties.

“There has been an outcry by civil society that parties do not disclose who their funders are,” he said.

New regulations would force parties to disclose their funders.

Mthembu said this was to avoid parties being negatively influenced by business.

His counterpart in the DA, John Steenhuisen, said they fully supported the establishment of the ad hoc committee to look into the matter.

DA deputy chief whip Mike Waters said one of the principles was that investment arms of parties must be exposed.

Narend Singh of the IFP said they fully supported the disclosure of party funders.

An NGO, My Vote Counts, has taken the parties to the Western Cape High Court to force them to disclose their funders.

Mthembu had said they wanted the ad hoc committee to finish its work by December.

Parties will have to select members to serve on the committee.