Ramaphosa warned to speed up implementation of Party Funding Bill

Published Jan 24, 2020

Share

Cape Town – My Vote Counts, a civil society organisation, has warned President Cyril Ramaphosa to speed up the implementation of the Political Party Funding Bill.

The organisation said it would not allow the president to continue to delay the implementation of the law as the local government polls were around the corner.

My Vote Counts spokesperson Sheilan Clarke,said yesterday they have been waiting for a year for

Ramaphosa to gazette the law and implement it. The new law forces parties to

disclose their funders.

Clarke said with next year’s elections fast approaching, Ramaphosa had to move fast. She said if the president failed to act now, they would consider a number of options, including taking him to court.

“We vote for the party who will uphold the constitution and not abuse their powers. If there is any chance that a party is being influenced by a wealthy business person or a foreign entity, we have the right to know. 

"We have the right to protect our state institutions against the rot of corruption that has been plaguing South Africa of late and this is because of the lack of laws regulating political party funding,” Clarke said.

During the campaign for local government elections in 2016, ANC NEC member Nomvula Mokonyane said in Cape Town the ANC had spent more than R1 billion in that election campaign alone.

The opposition parties were also said to have spent millions of rand. Other than getting funding from private donors, parties get allocations from the Independent Electoral Commission every financial year.

Political Bureau

Related Topics:

Cyril Ramaphosa