New bill on political party funding passed

DESPITE opposition from the EFF, the National Assembly has approved the Political Party Funding Bill – which regulates private donations to political parties represented in parliament and the provincial legislatures.

After being passed on Tuesday, the bill will now go to the National Council of Provinces for consideration.

Donors who wish to remain anonymous can donate to a multiparty fund‚ as opposed to an individual party.

The bill also bans certain categories of donors‚ including state-owned enterprises and organs of state, as well as donations from foreign governments and foreign government agencies‚ according to the African Christian Democratic Party’s Cheryllyn Dudley

A limit of R15-million per donor per year is stipulated and the cap on foreign donations is R5-million per year.

Parties that fail to comply with the provisions of the bill are subject to penalties‚ including the suspension of public funding and administrative fines potentially in excess of R1-million.

In November‚ EWN reported that the EFF’s Thembinkosi Rawula said his party believed the bill would reproduce existing political power imbalances and was unconstitutional.

He was quoted as saying: “The EFF will take the whole bill on judicial review if it is passed in its current form.”

Dudley‚ however‚ hailed the bill as a victory for multiparty democracy.

It will require political parties to disclose the amounts and sources of donations above R100 000 per donor during any one financial year.

Disclosure will be required by donors‚ to ensure political parties are accurately reporting.

“This legislation is a real victory for multiparty democracy and the ACDP supports wholeheartedly this initiative which we believe will strengthen and preserve the important diversity of views across parties in our parliament‚” the ACDP MP said. – TimesLIVE