Durban: The Electoral Commission of South Africa’s Chief Executive Officer, Sy Mamabolo, has announced that the Party Funding in SA symposium has been organized to evaluate the implementation and impact of South Africa’s political funding law. This marks the first-ever symposium dedicated to political funding since the Political Funding Act of 2018 came into force on 1 April 2021.
According to South African Government News Agency, the symposium, themed ‘Sustaining Multi-Party Democracy through Enhancing Political Funding Regulation in South Africa,’ is designed to encourage informed dialogue on the role of money in politics, enhance transparency, promote accountability, and explore potential reforms to strengthen the political finance regulatory regime in the country.
Addressing attendees at the two-day symposium in Durban, Mamabolo emphasized the necessity of assessing the effectiveness of disclosure mechanisms for political parties. He noted ongoing concerns regarding the transparency of certain contributions, the sufficiency of public reporting, and the effectiveness of the enforcement framework under the Political Funding Act. Mamabolo stressed the importance of evaluating the law’s impact on promoting multi-party democracy through comparative analysis with other democracies worldwide.
He called on participants to view the symposium as an opportunity to enhance a law crucial to the democratic process, urging them to provide Parliament with proposals for strengthening the regulatory framework. Mamabolo encouraged rigorous yet respectful debates, emphasizing that differences should sharpen outcomes and serve the greater cause of democracy.
The symposium brings together a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from political parties, Members of Parliament, academia, civil society, media, the business sector, and international and intergovernmental organizations.