Out of line: A study by the Human Sciences Research Council for the Electoral Commission of South Africa found that 79% of respondents think the country is ‘headed in the wrong direction’ while less than two-thirds were ‘satisfied’ with democracy. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy
South Africans are disillusioned with the political system and are disengaged from getting involved in political funding, according to a new report commissioned by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) study, presented at a political funding symposium in Umhlanga in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday, is based on face-to-face interviews with 3 119 adults across the country’s nine provinces in February and March and also relied on 26 interviews with experts from the IEC, political parties, civil society, academia, media and donors.
It explored the public perception of the Political Funding Act and the mechanisms designed to ensure accountability and transparency in political finance.
About 200 politicians, representing parties ranging from the ANC to the Economic Freedom Fighters and smaller parties, such as the United Democratic Movement and Rise Mzansi, and NGOs across the country, attended the two-day event that ran until Thursday.
The Act was enacted to promote transparency, accountability and fair competition in the funding of political parties, independent candidates and representatives.
It makes the disclosure of large donations mandatory, regulates public and private funding and establishes mechanisms such as the Multi-Party Democracy Fund.
HSRC chief executive Sarah Mosoetsa told the assembled and NGO representatives at the symposium that the council’s study revealed challenges in the political financing system.
“The [Political Funding Act] regulatory mandate presents ongoing difficulties but they remain difficulties that are not insurmountable. Political finance is globally dynamic,” she said.
“I think our research is pointing to those challenges but it’s also signalling to all of us that we are not alone dealing with such a phenomenon and it can be fixed.”
“In South Africa, particularly with our historic and structural inequality, access to campaign funding is particularly consequential and equal access to political finance often reinforces unequal access to power.”
The study focused on seven objectives, including evaluating the IEC’s effectiveness in implementing the Political Funding Act; assessing opinions on the thresholds and limits for private donations; investigating the feasibility of different regulatory approaches and whether responsibility for probing breaches of the act should be transferred to another institution.
One of the key findings was that 79% of South Africans believe the country is “headed in the wrong direction” while just 58% were “satisfied” with democracy, HSRC researcher Ngqapheli Mchunu said.
Trust in political institutions was especially weak with only 17% and 14% of those surveyed expressing confidence in political parties and politicians, respectively.
“We found that there is a high level of disinterest in politics that they either have no interest at all (40%) or they are hardly interested (26%),” Mchunu said.
In addition, 36% said politics often seemed so complicated that they could not really understand what is going on, while 53% of respondents said they strongly agree that people should have freedom to donate money to political parties and independent candidates.
Electoral participation appeared to shape attitudes, with regular voters more likely to support the freedom to donate than sporadic or non-voters.
However, 61% of respondents had heard or read “nothing” about the Political Funding Act while 20% had “a little” knowledge of the legislation.
“Awareness is strongly linked to education and socio-economic status with more educated and affluent individuals more aware. Those who had donated to political parties were more likely to be aware,” Mchunu said.
These individuals were also more likely to express anxiety regarding how the decisions and actions of political parties are being influenced by donations by the rich and powerful. A total of 70% of respondents said they were either extremely worried (16%), very worried (21%) or somewhat worried (33%).
“We asked our respondents whether there is too much or too little information about who donates money to political parties and independent candidates and we found that as many as 57% said there is actually too little information while only about 8% said there was too much information,” Mchunu said.
“Concern about the level of public information was highest among those with a post-secondary education and was linked to awareness of the PFA — the more aware they were, the more concerned they were about the level of information.
“Those who perceived a lack of public information were also more likely to support regulatory measures like the PFA.”
A total of 64% believed the IEC was the correct organisation to collect information about where political parties and independent candidates get their funding, while 37% said that it was important for the commission to know how much they are spending.
However, when asked whether they would personally be willing to donate to the Multi-Party Democracy Fund, a voluntary private sector funded pool administered by the IEC which disperses funds to all represented parties and independent candidates, Mchunu said that respondents expressed reluctance and scepticism.
Three-quarters said they were not at all (47%) or not very (27%) willing to donate, although willingness to donate was higher among past political donors, party supporters and individuals aware of the fund.
Socio-demographic factors also played a role, with older generations and residents in the Eastern Cape less inclined to contribute.
“Many adults expressed reluctance to donate due to a lack of awareness, distrust in political processes in general, and concerns about the misuse of funds. Financial constraints also play a significant role, some of the mass public felt unable to contribute beyond their basic needs,” the study found.
“On the other hand, those willing to donate see it as a civic duty to strengthen democracy, promote transparency and empower marginalised groups (particularly women).
“These findings reaffirm the need for improved public education and outreach to address scepticism and foster broader support for the [Multi-Party Democracy Fund] as a tool for political accountability and social change,” the study said.
According to the study, a tax rebate would convince respondents to make donations to the Multi-Party Democracy Fund.
“This offer was discovered to have a limited influence on public willingness to donate to the fund, with two-thirds of the public expressing low willingness regardless of the incentive.
“These findings suggest that financial incentives alone are unlikely to significantly alter public attitudes toward political donations,” the report said.