1. ADHOC COMMITTEE ON FUNDING OF POLITICAL PARTIES
SALGA PRESENTATION
ADHOC COMMITTEE ON FUNDING OF POLITICAL PARTIES
7th – 8th NOVEMBER 2017

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS NATURE AND FORM OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN STATE
THE CURRENT POLITICAL PARTY FUNDING STATUS
THE CASE FOR THE EXTENSION OF THIS BENEFIT TO LOCAL GOVERNNMENT
ACTUAL SALGA PROPOSALS: A DIFFERENTIATED FUNDING MODEL
PROPOSED WAYFORWARD: REPRESENTED POLITICAL PARTIES FUND
PROPOSED WAYFORWARD: MULTI – PARTY DEMOCRACY FUND
PROPOSED WAYFORWARD: A PHASED APPROACH

3. NATURE AND FORM OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN STATE
   
CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE OBLIGATORY PROVISIONS
Form and character of our democracy
South Africa a unitary state
Constitutional values and principles
Access to information and the concomitant provisions of the Promotion of Access to Information Act
Local government objectives
The constitutional mandate of a Municipal Council
Other prescriptive policy and legal instruments
White Paper On Local Government
Local Government Municipal Structures Act
Local Government Municipal Systems Act
Municipal Planning And Performance Regulations
Local Government Municipal Finance Management Act, etc.

4. Assumptions for exclusion may be:
   
THE CURRENT POLITICAL PARTY FUNDING STATUS CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE LACUNA
Assumptions for exclusion may be:
An oversight by the crafters of the Constitution
Inherent misalignment between what the Constitution expects of each sphere of government and what it provides in terms of funding for constituency work
Transformation from over 800 mainly urban local authorities to only 257 wall to wall complex and bigger municipalities

5. THE CASE FOR THE EXTENSION OF THIS BENEFIT TO LOCAL GOVERNNMENT
Deepening democracy, promoting accountability and meaningful community involvement are Constitutional and legislative obligations for municipalities
The growing trust deficit between municipalities and communities and the increasing community protests
Growing voter apathy (an increase in prospective vs the decline in retrospective voters)
Real government-community interface happens at local level

6. ACTUAL SALGA PROPOSALS: A DIFFERENTIATED FUNDING MODEL
A separate funding regime and management system for WARD COUNCILLORS
Their scope to be limited to the following areas
Meaningful community involvement (public participation processes)
Public education and community awareness
General constituency work
Management, accountability and compliance with the legislation
The Speaker to assume political accountability
The Municipal Manager to be the Accounting Officer
Auditor General to audit the funds

7. ACTUAL SALGA PROPOSALS: A DIFFERENTIATED FUNDING MODEL
A separate funding regime and management system for COMMUNITY BASED ORGANISATIONS
Their scope to be limited to the following areas
Meaningful community involvement (public participation processes)
Public education and community awareness
General constituency work
Management, accountability and compliance with the legislation
The Speaker to assume political accountability
The Municipal Manager to be the Accounting Officer
Auditor General to audit the funds
(migration to a fully fledged political party funding category must be subject to meeting the necessary legislative requirements)

8. ACTUAL SALGA PROPOSALS: A DIFFERENTIATED FUNDING MODEL
A separate funding regime and management system for REPRESENTED POLITICAL PARTIES
Funding windows
Constituency funding
Caucus funding.
Funding for the leader of the official opposition.
Campaign election funding
Their scope to be limited to the following areas
(a) The development of the political will of the people;
(b) Bringing the political party’s influence to bear on the shaping of public opinion;
(c) Inspiring and furthering political education;
(d) Promoting active participation by individual citizens in political life;
(e) Exercising an influence on political trends;
(f) Ensuring continuous and vital links between the people and organs of state; and
Management, accountability and compliance with the legislation
It is proposed that Represented Political Parties in Municipal Councils should be obliged to comply fully in the same manner as in Provincial and National Legislatures

9. PROPOSED WAYFORWARD REPRESENTED POLITICAL PARTIES FUND
The ADHOC Committee may be justified to exclude the local sphere of government as a beneficiary of the Represented Political Parties Fund in terms of the Drafts Bill
Constitutional and legislative lacuna
Constitutional amendment

10. PROPOSED WAYFORWARD MULTI – PARTY DEMOCRACY FUND
SALGA is of the opinion that the MULTI – PARTY DEMOCRACY FUND as a new addition in the legislative scheme created to enable the donor community and other sources to donate funds to strengthen our democracy is an open opportunity for all the three spheres of government.
There is no constitutional and legislative basis to exclude local government from benefiting from this fund.
The Bill should be amended to include the local sphere of government

11. PROPOSED WAYFORWARD A PHASED APPROACH
PHASE 01: MULTI – PARTY DEMOCRACY FUND
Draft Bill to include the local sphere of government as a beneficiary of the Multi Party Democracy Fund
PHASE 02: REPRESENTED POLITICAL PARTY FUND
Constitutional amendment

12. I THANK YOU