NCOP Committee adopts Political Party Funding Bill

27 June 2018

The Ad Hoc Committee for the Funding of Political Parties in the NCOP has adopted the Political Party Funding Bill, bringing South Africa closer to greater transparency on the private funding of political parties. 

My Vote Counts welcomes the adoption of the Political Party Funding Bill. We are also grateful to Parliament for the manner and speed with which this process has been handled.

During MVC’s representations on the Party Funding Bill on 20 June 2018, the Ad Hoc Committee queried the status of MVC’s Constitutional Court application. MVC only discovered shortly after this presentation that the Judgement in the Constitutional Court would be handed down the following day. The Constitutional Court judgement handed down on 21 June 2018 ruled in MVC’s favour that the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), with regards to private funding information of political parties and independent candidates, is inconsistent with the Constitution.  

Following our receipt of the judgement we engaged further with the Committee by forwarding the Judgement to the Committee and writing a letter to explain our understanding of the Court judgement and its impact on the Party Funding Bill process. In the letter we clarified that MVC understood the Judgement as being supportive of Parliament’s current process on the Party Funding Bill even though other processes, including the amendment of PAIA, is still to take place.

During the committee’s deliberations on the Bill on the evening of 26 June 2018, the committee chairperson thanked MVC for the letter which supported the committees decision to continue its process and adopt the Bill.

These historic events will lead to greater transparency on the private funding of political parties and will allow the South African electorate to be better informed when making their mark at the ballot box.

The Bill will be debated in the NCOP in Parliament on Thursday 28 June, and if passed will be sent to the President for signing.

Issued by Sheilan Clarke, Communications Officer, My Vote Counts, 27 June 2018