My Vote Counts pushes for changes to Political Party Funding Act
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My Vote Counts says it’s determined to ensure changes are made to the amended Political Party Funding Act.
The Western Cape High Court on Monday reserved judgment in the case between My Vote Counts, the Presidency, Parliament and the Departments of Home Affairs and Justice and Constitutional Development.
My Vote Counts – a non-profit organisation that promotes democratic reforms in South Africa – lodged an urgent application against the parties due to the amendment of the Act.
The litigation follows the signing of the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill into law.
Under the Act, limits for independent and political party funding were removed ahead of the 2024 elections.
Senior researcher Joel Bregmen at My Vote Counts says it is vital that two key elements are included in the Political Party Funding Act.
“So it’s very simple. We are asking them to reinstate two key limits that were removed under the political party funding act. These are the upper amounts that you can donate in a given year which are R15 million and R100 000. These were removed when the Electoral Matters Amendment Act amended the political party funding,” he says.
Electoral Matters Amendment Act I Judgement reserved in the My Vote Counts case
‘Informed decisions’
Meanwhile, political analyst Asanda Ngoasheng says the electorate needs to know who funds the political parties they plan to vote for.
Ngoasheng says proper legislation will help voters make informed decisions.
“We need to know this information so that we know what people are backing when they vote for political parties and where the power of these parties comes from. Who funds is an indicator of who then has influence over the kind of policies that come from that political party and the policy direction of that political…which has implications for ordinary citizens who don’t have millions to fund to get their policies in place,” she explains.
Political Party Funding Act | Judgment reserved in My Vote Counts case: Asanda Ngoasheng
-Additional reporting by Diteboho Ntamane