Godogwana: Terror-sanctioned individuals funding SA parties
Finance Minister Enoch Godogwana says the country is heading into an environment where the state fully funds political parties.
Godogwana delivered the keynote address at the IEC's Symposium on Political Funding in South Africa in Umhlanga, north of Durban.
" Political parties, by their very nature, are public, are public institutions, and if you don't use taxpayers’ money to fund them, then we are making them vulnerable to be hijacked by individuals or corporates."
He said the current system forces parties to rely too heavily on private donors, which can lead to corruption and undue influence.
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" Voters need to know who is behind the funding of political parties and what agendas they're pursuing. We must curtail opportunities for parties with questionable intentions to gain power. This requires a strong fiscus."
Godongwana said there are serious concerns over the sources of some of the funding.
" The USA administration, every six months, sends me a note and says these individuals with bank accounts from funders we have sanctioned for terror financing in South Africa. It's still a challenge that we need to grapple with."
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