Parliament, Tuesday, 3 November 2024 – Following the resolution by the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs made on 10 September 2024 to subject a motion required by section 24(1)(a) of the Political Funding Act, 2018 related to the upper limit for donations received by a political party, and the disclosure threshold for political parties, independent candidates and independent representatives to a public participation process, the committee will today hold public hearings on the submissions received.
“Public participation is the bedrock of South Africa’s constitutional democracy and Parliament has committed to ensuring meaningful public participation by ensuring that the 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 on political funding,” said Mr Mosa Chabane, the Chairperson of the Committee.
The motion tried 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, the President as soon as reasonably possible, 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 fifteen million rand in a financial year; and
(ii) the amount referred to in section 9(1)(a) (disclosure limit) of the Act being one hundred thousand rand 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.
The committee will receive presentations from the Electoral Commission of South Africa, My Vote Counts, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Southern African Catholic Bishop’s Conference, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), African National Congress (ANC) & Progressive Business Forum (PBF) and Parliament Budget Office.
Details of the meeting
Date: Tuesday, 03 December 2024
Time: 09:00
Venue: Virtual meeting
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR MOSA CHABANE.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the Committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8438
Cell: 081 512 7920
E-mail: mmolepo@parliament.gov.za
Arrange a tour