Political Party Funding Bill signed into law
On 22 January 2019, the President of the Republic of South Africa signed the Political Party Funding Bill into law (now referred to as the Political Party Funding Act). However, the commencement date has not yet been proclaimed. Once in force, the Political Party Funding Act will repeal the Public Funding of Represented Political Parties Act 103 of 1997.
As set out in the long title, the Political Party Funding Act seeks, amongst other things, to provide for and regulate the public and private funding of political parties, in particular:
- The establishment and management of the Multi-Party Democracy Fund and the Represented Political Party Fund in order to fund represented political parties sufficiently;
- The prohibition of certain donations made directly to political parties;
- The disclosure requirements of donations accepted;
- The duties of political parties in respect of funding;
- The powers and duties of the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa;
- The applicable offences and penalties in terms of the legislation.
The text of the Political Party Funding Act is accessible here.
The legislative history of the Political Party Funding Bill (via the Parliamentary Monitoring Group) is accessible here.
Please note: The information contained in this note is for general guidance on matters of interest, and does not constitute legal advice. For any enquiries, please contact us at [email protected].