Growing calls for an increase in party funding

By Johnathan Paoli

Parliament has heard rising calls for an increase in the upper limit for donations and the disclosure threshold of political party funding donors.

The Home Affairs Portfolio Committee convened public hearings on proposed amendments to the Political Party Funding Act (PPFA), which aims to regulate private donations to political parties and ensure transparency in political financing.

Committee chair Mosa Chabane described the hearings as providing an opportunity for the public to make inputs that would guide decisions taken by Parliament on the threshold on political funding

“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,” Chabane said.

This follows a resolution in September to open a public consultation process on the draft motion addressing donation limits and disclosure thresholds.

The draft motion proposes