Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
23 January 2024 | 12:15 p.m. SAST
1-min read

Image: DispatchLIVE

Reports suggest a decline in funding for the African National Congress (ANC) in 2023 compared to the previous year. According to figures released by the Electoral Commission of South Africa, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has surged ahead in declared political donations.

Zakhele Ndlovu, a political lecturer at the University of KZN, expressed scepticism about the accuracy of the reported figures during an interview on Radio Islam International.

“Now for the ANC, I have some doubts as to whether or not these figures that it has declared are correct. My suspicion is that because in South Africa we don’t have strict disclosure laws when it comes or regulation when it comes to funding for political parties, I think that some political parties tend to not give correct figures,” Mr Ndlovu said.

He raised doubts about the transparency of political parties, citing examples such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

“If you look at the EFF, which is the third largest party, you know, it is well funded but if you look at 2022, it claims to have received less than a million funding, which I find very, very unbelievable,” he said.

Political processes lack transparency and accountability because of loopholes in the current regulations in South Africa.

“I think that if you look at our regulations, they are not strict enough when it comes to making sure that each and every cent that a party receives is declared,” Mr Ndlovu stated.

Comparing South Africa to more established democracies, Mr Ndlovu acknowledged that even countries like the United States face challenges, but their regulations are comparatively stronger. He underscored the vulnerabilities in South Africa’s young democracy, saying, “In the US, you still find that there are foreign forces that pump money into the US system that channel money to political parties.”

With the upcoming elections, it is anticipated that political donations will see a significant spike. Mr Ndlovu suggested a correlation between party influence and funding, speculating, “I would imagine that donors would pump more money into those political parties just because of their influence in our electoral system.”

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.