New proposal suggests R30 million cap on political party donations

THE Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has resolved to bolster transparency in political party funding, recommending to the National Assembly an increase in the disclosure threshold and upper limits for donations to political parties and independent candidates.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

This comes after the committee completed public hearings into the upper limits and disclosure threshold for donations and disclosure.

The national legislature undertook the process after it was taken to court by lobby group, My Vote Counts, when it passed the Electoral Amendment Act without setting the upper limits for donation and disclosure thresholds.

Before the amendment, the disclosure threshold was R100000 per financial year and the upper limit donation was R15 million per financial year to political parties.

When the newly amended law was passed, which also catered for independent candidates, a line with the Political Party Funding Act, the National Assembly was required to pass a resolution to enable the president to make regulations relating to the amounts and set out factors to consider in regulating the amounts.