Civil society critical of president getting powers to determine party funding thresholds

The balance between the need for transparency in the private funding of political parties and the necessity of public funding for parties as a requirement for democracy was highlighted during the oral submissions on the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill on Tuesday. 

The main intention of the bill, which was introduced in December, is to amend the Political Party Funding Act (PPFA) and other legislation to bring it in line with the Electoral Amendment Act, which allows independent candidates to contest provincial and national elections.   

However, the bill also includes a controversial clause that could make it easier for political parties and independent candidates to receive more money from donors, with less transparency.