The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has launched a two-day symposium on political funding, aimed at evaluating and enhancing the regulatory framework governing the use of money in politics.
The first-ever symposium on political funding, follows four years of implementing the Political Funding Act of 2018, which came into effect on 1 April 2021.
Held under the theme: “Sustaining Multi-Party Democracy through Enhancing Political Funding Regulation in South Africa” the symposium aims to foster informed dialogue on the matters related to the use of money in politics, promote transparency and accountability models, as well as possible reforms to ensure an effective political finance regulatory regime in South Africa.
According to a statement issued by the Commission on Wednesday, the key highlights of the symposium include opening remarks by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mosotho Moepya, presentation by Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo, and the Political Funding Unit outlining the Commission's experience in implementing the law since its promulgation.
“This aspect will naturally involve the points of success and areas of challenge. Furthermore, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) will outline the preliminary outcomes of the research study which, amongst others, gathered the views and perspectives of stakeholders and the public on political financing in the country,” the Commission said.
Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana is scheduled to address the symposium on Thursday morning, where he is expected to provide a perspective on the public funding of elected representative to enhance multi-party democracy.
Several scholars will also present their work in this area of money and politics.
Highlights of the programme include the following:
• A global perspective on political funding and campaign finance.
• The role and mandate of the political funding framework in strengthening democratic governance.
• Assessing the capacity and commitment of key stakeholders in improving the regulation of political funding.
• Transparency in public and private political party funding: challenges and prospects.
The symposium brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from political parties, members of parliament, academia, civil society, the media, the business sector, as well as international and intergovernmental organisations.
Speaking ahead of the symposium, Mamabolo emphasised the need for a collective commitment to enhance transparency in the political funding landscape, to foster a vibrant system of multiparty democracy.
“By convening diverse stakeholders, we aim to critically assess our progress and explore avenues for strengthening the current regulatory framework and thus ensure that our democracy remains robust and resilient,” he said.
The symposium is taking place at Umhlanga, north of Durban, from 18-19 June 2025. – SAnews.gov.za
