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Public Protector ‘must probe irregular contributions’ to DA leaders’ parties

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Faiez Jacobs, ANC Western Cape secretary. Picture: Denvor de Wee
Faiez Jacobs, ANC Western Cape secretary. Picture: Denvor de Wee

The ANC in the Western Cape on Monday laid two separate but related complaints with the Public Protector, requesting an urgent investigation into the “seemingly illegal and irregular” contributions made by service providers and contractors to birthday parties of various provincial ministers.

“According to news reports, contractors and service providers ... made financial contributions to birthday parties of Bonginkosi Madikizela, provincial minister of human settlements, in March this year and that of Nomafrench Mbombo, provincial minister of health, last year,” said Faiez Jacobs, ANC Western Cape secretary.

Jacobs said it was still unclear if these were the only two provincial ministers who accepted donations from service providers and contractors for birthday parties or celebrations. He believed only an independent investigation by a credible and independent constitutional institution could provide the necessary answers.

“The citizens of the Western Cape deserve full disclosure on these payments and contributions, its extent and scope and all those involved in the potentially criminal conduct of all involved,” he said.

EWN reported earlier on Monday that Madikizela, who is also the party’s acting provincial leader, had said that “claims of impropriety related to his birthday party in March are nothing more than a smear campaign to derail his DA provincial leadership ambitions”.

Madikizela’s surprise party at Cape Town’s One&Only hotel was allegedly paid for by unnamed building contractors who do business with the department.

But Madikizela told EWN that the party was paid for by his friends.

City Press reported on Sunday that, for the first time in 20 years, a shift was under way to break the secrecy on how parties get their funding.

ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu said the issue was not only about increasing public funding; it was also about transparency regarding private donations.

“If we give you enough or adequate funding from the public purse, your responsibility is that if you get money anywhere else, in regulating whatever you get, you must declare,” he said.

Mthembu said in the 2017-2018 financial year, public funding for political parties amounted to just under R150 million and was proportionally allocated to parties.

In addition to this fund, members of legislatures were funded by the respective institutions.

All the funds emanate from the represented political parties’ fund, administered by the independent electoral commission.

Mthembu described the R150 million as “negligible” for political parties to do their work.

Currently, political parties were not required to declare the sources of their funds or how they used their money.

Mthembu said the ANC would table a motion in Parliament for the establishment of an ad hoc committee on party funding to inquire into, and make recommendations on, the funding of political parties with a view to introducing or amending legislation if necessary.

The committee would also consider a model for adequate public funding for political parties and possible ways to regulate private funding.

The DA hadn’t responded to a request for comment at the time of publishing but last week indicated that it welcomed the establishment of ad hoc committee on party funding.

The party’s chief whip, John Steenhuisen said: “The DA believes in transparency and fairness, provided it applies to all political parties, without exception.

“We will be supporting the motion to establish the ad hoc committee and will participate fully in its deliberations. However, we hope that the chief whip’s proposal is based on genuine good faith and is not being used as a tool in the factional warfare currently taking place in the ANC,” he said.

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