Who bankrolls political parties?

28 March 2018 9:31 AM

Parliament has passed the historic Political Party Funding bill which would see private donations to political parties represented in the National Assembly made public. But what does this mean for South African politics, and more importantly for the 2019 elections?

Speaking to Bongani Bingwa, James Selfe, Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Chairperson said even though they accept the bill, their concerns are that the bill doesn't address who really funds political parties.

It doesn't address the real Gupta in the room if you like of party funding and that is the large tail looting of state resources that happens before every single general election. We see t-shirts being printed by government, we see municipal vehicles being used, we see Corsa bakkies handed out at Sassa points all under the guise of political rallies. And that is not dealt with in the Bill.
— James Selfe, DA Federal Chairperson

Vincent Smith, Chairperson of Parliament’s Ad-Hoc committee on Political Party Funding said James Self is disingenuous as he talks about the elephant in the room not being addressed.

This Bill says that no political party can receive funds from any state institution, government or foreign donor and that all donations must be made public. The fact that it is transparent, will show where the money is coming from.
— Vincent Smith, Chairperson of Parliament’s Ad-Hoc committee

Listen below to the full interview on the new Bill being passed:

Written by: Matshepo Sehloho