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The Electoral Commission of South Africa (ECS) will investigate the ANC’s alleged failure to comply with political funding legislation.
The IEC is also investigating Rise Mzansi’s declaration of a donation of R30 million, which apparently stems from the conversion of a previous loan.
The DA welcomed these investigations.
Maroela Media reported earlier that the DA declared the most political donations for this year in the latest report of the IEC, while the ANC reported no donations for the same period. The DA declared R57.3 million, while Rise Mzansi made the second largest declaration with a single donation of R30 million.
According to the IEC, donations totaling R770 000 were declared by donors to the ANC, but had not been acknowledged or declared by the ANC at the time of publication. The commission also mentioned two late declarations by the ANC of a total of R10.5 million.
Adrian Roos, DA spokesperson on internal affairs, says the Political Party Funding Act is aimed at ensuring that South Africans know who funds political parties.
“This is not a minor administrative error. It goes to the heart of transparency and accountability in South African politics.”
According to Roos, any failure to comply with funding legislation must be thoroughly investigated, regardless of which party is involved.
“Parties that cannot be trusted to declare their donors honestly cannot be trusted to govern honestly.”
The DA expects that the IEC will handle the case “without fear or favour”. He says any violation of the Political Party Funding Act must be dealt with decisively.
The IEC is also investigating Rise Mzansi’s statement of the R30 million donation. The commission has indicated that it is seeking clarity on the terms of the conversion of the loan to a donation to determine whether it complies with the law.
Roos says South Africans deserve clear answers about the source, structure and explanation of this funding arrangement.
“No political party is above scrutiny,” adds Roos.
The DA says it has consistently complied with the disclosure requirements of the Political Party Funding Act.