The Institute for Security Studies’ Corruption and Governance Programme invites you to a public seminar titled Regulating Private Party Funding in South Africa.  As a prelude to the National Anti-Corruption Forum summit, the ISS will host a series of seminars addressing conflicts of interest; one of which will examine political party funding. 

Most modern democracies now regulate private donations, driven by the recognition that regulation is important and necessary for democracy and that financing political campaigns in many countries has become a form of legalized corruption.

However the lack of regulations in South Africa has meant that private party funding remains opaque and generates opportunities for conflicts of interest between the public and business spheres and undue influence over political parties and public representatives. In a country such as South Africa, with profound socio-economic disparities and demographic differences, money in politics has the prospect of compromising the priorities of the public agenda and eroding democratic gains.

The seminar will discuss the need to promote transparency and accountability in politics through the regulation of private funding to political parties, as well as the influence of party owned companies in the political arena and the publics right to know who funds whom.

Speakers:

• Prof Anthony Butler: Department of Political Science, Wits University

• Zackie Achmat, Director: Ndifuna Ukwazi

Chairperson:

• Hennie van Vuuren, Office Director: Institute for Security Studies, Cape Town

This event is funded by the Open Society Foundation – South Africa (OSF-SA)

Please note that discussions occur under the ISS rules, which means no attribution without specific permission.