The Electoral Commission of South Africa's Chief Executive Officer, Sy Mamabolo, says the Party Funding in SA symposium has been convened to assess the implementation and impact of South Africa’s political funding law.
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 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.
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Speaking at the two-day symposium held in Durban, Mamabolo on Wednesday said an assessment of the effectiveness of disclosure mechanisms for political parties must be conducted.
“While the [Political Funding Act] was designed to enhance transparency, concerns remain about the opacity of certain contributions, the adequacy of public reporting and the efficacy of the enforcement framework,” he said.
He said they must consider the law’s impact on the promotion of multi-party democracy.
“As is always necessary in evaluating regulatory frameworks, comparative analysis will be provided to juxtapose our own experiences with regulatory frameworks that... from other democracies around the world.
“I urge all participants, regardless of ideological persuasion, to see this moment not as a burden, but as an opportunity, a chance to improve a law that touches the very soul of our democratic practice,” Mamabolo said.
He said the symposium must evaluate the current framework with a view to providing the policymaker, which is Parliament, with proposals to strengthen the regulatory framework.
“Let our debates be rigorous, but respectful. Let our differences sharpen the outcome, not delay it, and let our unity be in service of something far greater than any single party: our democracy itself,” he said.
The symposium convenes a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from political parties, Members of Parliament, academia, civil society, media, the business sector, as well as international and intergovernmental organisations.
In Pictures | Symposium on political party funding in SA
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– SAnews.gov.za
