My Vote Counts to approach court in bid to ensure political parties declare their funding

CAPE TOWN - Lobby group, My Vote Counts, will approach the Western Cape High Court on Friday in attempts to make sure political parties remain accountable for declaring their funding.
 
The Electoral Matters Amendment Bill, which came into effect a week ago, removed the limits for accepting and declaring donations which was prescribed in the Political Party Funding Act. 
 
It means that until the president sets new limits, political parties can receive vast amounts of money from private backers and not have to declare it.
 
Last week, the Electoral Court fined six big parties, including the African National Congress (ANC), for failing to submit annual statements to the Electoral Commission (IEC). 
 
It's another concern in ensuring transparency and holding political parties financially accountable. 
 
My Vote Counts wants the Western Cape High Court to return the annual R15 million limit on donations and for all amounts over R100,000 to be declared. 
 
Spokesperson Lelethu Masangwana: "With this gap in the law currently, one could donate a million rand and we wouldn’t know about it. And it's important going into these elections that voters are informed and they know who funds political parties or independent candidates."
 
The National Assembly is on Thursday expected to pass a resolution giving the president the prerogative to set new financial limits. 
 
But My Vote Counts fears a lack of accountability in the interim. 
 
"Does that resolution cover the week in which there was no donation cap and no disclosure threshold, or not?"
 
The organisation believes recent changes made by Parliament to the Political Party Funding Act were deceptive and unnecessary.