Hidden political funding can exert undue influence on South Africa’s democracy

ALTHOUGH money is essential for political participation, nontransparent funding could allow affluent vested interests to exert undue, disproportionate, or even criminal influence on politics and policymaking.

- MANYANE MANYANE

Global anti-corruption organisation Transparency International (TI) revealed this in its Standards for Integrity in Political Finance publication.

The standards are a holistic set of measures that describe the effort needed to mitigate corruption risks and promote the integrity of, at a minimum, the financing of national-level political parties and election campaigns.

Political parties and candidates require financial and other resources to organise themselves, formulate their ideas, and communicate them to the public.

However, according to Transparency International, unchecked or opaque funding can allow affluent vested interests to exert undue, disproportionate, or even criminal influence on politics and policymaking.

This lack of transparency and controls could lead to the capture of laws and resources by a powerful few and undermine the quality of government and erode public trust in institutions.

It stated that the public has the right to know how money influences politics, as well as the information about sources of funding and expenditures, which provides important context for making informed decisions at the ballot box and holding officials accountable.