The Electoral Commission is preparing to host a symposium on Political Funding in South Africa. This follows four years of implementing the Political Funding Act of 2018. This law took effect on 1 April 2021.The symposium will be held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal on 18 and 19 June 2025.
The symposium will
be held under the theme: “Sustaining Multi-Party Democracy through Enhancing
Political Funding Regulation in South Africa”. The aims of the symposium are
to foster informed dialogue on the on matters related to the use of money in
our politics, the required transparency and accountability models as well as
possible reforms to ensure an effective political finance regulatory regime in
South Africa.
The
key highlights of the programme of the symposium include opening remarks by the
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mr Mosotho Moepya at 09h00 on
Wednesday, 18 June 2024. The Chief Electoral Officer Mr Sy Mamabolo and the
political funding unit will outline the experience of implementing the law
since its promulgation. This aspect will naturally involve the points of
success and areas of challenge. Furthermore, the Human Sciences Research
Council (HSRC) will outline the preliminary outcomes of the research study which,
amongst others, gathered the views and perspectives of stakeholders and the public
on political financing in the country. Several scholars will also present their
work in this area of money and politics.
The
Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana, is scheduled to address the symposium
at 09h00 on Thursday, 19 June 2025. The Minister is expected to provide a
perspective on the public funding of elected representative to enhance
multi-party democracy.
Highlights
of the programme include the following:
- A global perspective on political funding and campaign
finance
- The role and mandate of the political funding framework
in strengthening democratic governance
- Assessing the capacity and commitment of key
stakeholders in improving the regulation of political funding
- Transparency in public and private political
party funding: challenges and prospects
The symposium will convene a
wide range of stakeholders including representatives from political parties, members
of parliament, academia, civil society, the media, the business sector, as well
as international and intergovernmental organisations.
Speaking
ahead of the symposium, the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Sy Mamabolo, said a
collective commitment to enhancing transparency in the political funding
landscape is important to foster a vibrant system of multiparty democracy. He
indicated that “by convening diverse stakeholders, we aim to critically assess
our progress and explore avenues for strengthening the current regulatory
framework and thus ensure that our democracy remains robust and resilient.”
Members
of the media are invited as follows:
Date: Wednesday,
18 June 2025
Time: 09h00
– 13h00
Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel Umhlanga Rocks,
Durban
Date: Thursday,
19 June 2025
Time: 09h00
– 10h00
Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel Umhlanga Rocks,
Durban
Members of the media will have the opportunity to engage with the
leadership of the organisation immediately after the opening session on the
first day of the symposium.
Kindly confirm your attendance with Mr David Mandaha at or call/WhatsApp 072 126 8910.
ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Ensuring free, fair and credible elections
For media queries: Please
contact Kate Bapela on 082 600 6386
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