Parliament, Wednesday, 30 October 2024 – Following a resolution made by the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on 10 September 2024 to subject a motion relating to the Political Funding Act to a public participation process, the committee is now calling on the public to submit comments and submissions on the motion.
The motion is required by section 24(1)(a) of the Political Funding Act, 2018 and concerns the upper limit for donations received by political parties and the disclosure threshold for political parties, independent candidates and independent representatives.
“Public participation is the bedrock of South Africa’s constitutional democracy and Parliament has committed to ensuring meaningful public participation by ensuring that their views and aspirations are reflected in decisions made in Parliament. This opportunity provides an opportunity for the public to make inputs that will guide decisions taken by Parliament on the threshold of political funding and on the Immigration Bill,” said Mr Mosa Chabane, the Chairperson of the committee.
The motion is an attempt to remedy a lacuna in the Electoral Matters Amendment Act of 2014, as confirmed by the Western Cape High Court judgement in the matter of My Vote Counts NPC v The President and others.
The draft motion proposes that, in terms of section 24 of the Act, as soon as reasonably possible the President makes regulations regarding the amounts contemplated in section 8(2) and 9(1)(a) of the Act in accordance with the process set out in that Act, and that the President in that regard considers amounts set by items 7 and 9 of Schedule 2 to the Act prior to its amendment by the Electoral Matters Amendment Act 2024 (Act No. 14 of 2024), namely:
(i) the amount referred to in section 8(2) (upper limit of donations) being R15 million in a financial year; and
(ii) the amount referred to in section 9(1)(a) (disclosure limit) of the Act being R100 000 in a financial year.
The decision by the committee to undertake a public participation process highlighted the importance of public participation in line with Section 59 (1) of the constitution that compels the National Assembly to facilitate public involvement in its processes.
Meanwhile, the committee has also called for public submissions on the Immigration Amendment Bill. The Bill aims to amend the Immigration Act, 2002, so as to revise provisions relating to the arrest and detention of illegal foreigners for purposes of deportation and to align these provisions with constitutional principles; and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Comments for the motion related to the Political Funding Act can be directed to the Committee Secretary, Mr Eddy Mathonsi at the email address PPFA@parliament.gov.za and comments for the Immigration Amendment Bill can be forwarded to ImmigrationBill@parliament.gov.za.
All comments and submissions must reach the committee on or before 22 November 2024 by 16:00.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR MOSA CHABANE.
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