…Researched and contributed by Jack Sylva.
The African National Congress (ANC) is seeking to amend the Political Party Funding Act (PPFA), claiming that the law has caused its long-standing financial woes.
This move comes on the second anniversary of the implementation of the PPFA, which opened up party financing to public scrutiny.
In early 2022, the ANC leadership recommended expanding the disclosure thresholds, and earlier this year, ANC treasurer general Gwen Ramakgopa mandated that ANC MPs begin looking at ways to amend the law.
This calls into question the commitment of political parties to transparent and accountable politics.
The Party Funding Act aims to restrict unscrupulous private influence by compelling political parties to disclose their private donations over R100,000 and capping donations (per donor per party in one financial year) to R15-million.
The proposed expansions would increase this threshold to R500,000, which means that we would not have seen more than half of the published disclosures in the 2021/2022 financial year.
Political parties need money to survive, but their primary purpose is not generating income; rather, they are in the business of political representation.
The Corruption Threat
There have been many instances where money has undermined the democratic process.
The corruption exposed by the Zondo Commission showed extensive client and patronage networks that have siphoned money from the public and diluted democracy in South Africa.
The Party Funding Act aims to safeguard democracy from such threats, but expanded disclosure thresholds will only serve the interests of private donors and party bosses.
If a donor feels that they can no longer donate because their donation would be made public, it raises questions about the nature or character of the donor or donation.
Dissonance Between What Political Parties Want and What We Need
The push by the ANC to amend the PPFA points to a dissonance between what political parties want and what we need.
The ANC’s attempt to amend one of the most significant laws in our country since 1994, leveraging its majority in parliament, is a manipulation of a key democratic process.
This move is unprecedented and deeply significant in a country where private influence has previously been allowed to run amok.
Increased thresholds for disclosure would decrease transparency, and half of the picture would be obscured, leaving the public in the dark.
Commentary
The Political Party Funding Act (PPFA) aims to promote transparency and accountability in political financing by requiring political parties to disclose their private donations over R100,000 and capping donations (per donor per party in one financial year) to R15-million.
The ANC’s move to amend the PPFA raises concerns about political parties’ commitment to transparent and accountable politics.
This move comes in the context of South Africa’s history of extensive client and patronage networks that have siphoned money from the public and undermined democracy.
The ANC’s claim that the PPFA is the cause of its financial woes is questionable, and the proposed expansions to disclosure thresholds are a cause for concern.
The Party Funding Act safeguards democracy from unscrupulous private influence, and expanded disclosure thresholds would only serve the interests of private donors and party bosses.
The push by the ANC to amend the PPFA highlights a dissonance between what political parties want and what the public needs.
Increased disclosure thresholds would decrease transparency, leaving the public in the dark about the true nature of political financing in South Africa.