Posts

Business sector whistle-blowers raise their game

When one thinks of whistle-blowers, it is easy to only think of those who expose irregularities in the public service. However, there is a whole community of business sector whistle-blowers out there, and they are stepping up the pace, according to a new report by global risk and compliance firm Navex. For organisations looking to Read more >

Transparency of donations to intra-party political campaigns is a must

By Natalie KeetsiFirst published on the Global Anticorruption Blog In South Africa, the Political Party Funding Act (the PPFA) regulates campaign donations and expenditures to political parties. By imposing various limits and transparency requirements, the PPFA – which is overseen by South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) – is supposed to prevent corruption and other Read more >

Party funding act useless if not enacted

By Pierre de Vos First published on Constitutionally Speaking Political parties in South Africa tend to resemble Eskom: they burn through piles of cash but seldom deliver as promised. Some of this cash comes from “donations” made to political parties (or to political leaders) by individuals and businesses (think Gavin Watson and Bosasa or Adriano Read more >

Latest MPs’ register of interests not yet in sight

Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests recently set a closing date of Friday, 29 September 2017, for all members of Parliament (MPs) to disclose their business and financial interests. The Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members’ Interests defines such interests as registrable interests, and MPs are required to make annual disclosures. Read more >

MVC says all party donations must be accounted for

My Vote Counts (MVC) has embarked on the next step in its fight for transparency in political party funding in South Africa. The organisation is advocating for complete transparency and reform of the funding of all political parties, making it mandatory for all parties to disclose where their money is coming from, thereby giving all citizens the chance to Read more >

Reforming party finance in SA: exploring the options

By Gary Pienaar and Collette Schulz-Herzenberg First published on Human Sciences Research Council Money plays a fundamental role in a democracy. Political parties need to reach their constituencies and inform them of their policies. Not disclosing private donations can lead to corruption, cronyism and policy capture, but would disclosing donations necessarily increase public trust? In Read more >

Cleaning up political party funding

South Africa holds local government elections in just under two months. Our new three-part series looks at political party funding and the implications of disclosure or non-disclosure of private funding. Part one examines the results of a 2015 global study focusing on the transparency and effectiveness of political finance regimes. In part two we republish Read more >