Ramaphosa signs bill requiring political parties to reveal donors
President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law legislation that will require political parties and independent candidates to record the names and details of their donors.
The Promotion of Access to Information Amendment Act (PAIA), which is one of several pieces of legislation approved by the president, will require political parties to make their financial records available on a quarterly basis.
The legislation follows a ruling in favour of My Vote Counts in the Constitutional Court.
In 2018, apex court ruled that voters have the right to be informed about the private funding of political parties.
"This is a victory for us, and it shows that we are moving towards the right direction in transparency and accountability around finances of political parties in South Africa,” says My Vote Counts’ Sheilan Clarke.
“We urge President Cyril Ramaphosa to put this laws into effect now so that we can get time to have information out to political parties to make informed decisions that will assist to get fair elections.”
Ramaphosa also signed into law the Child Justice Amendment Act, which provides for an increase of the minimum age of criminal capacity of a child 10 to 12 years.
It also repeals the requirement to prove criminal capacity for the purpose of diversion and preliminary inquiries.