Court action to compel political parties and blue chip companies to provide details of their political funding could ensue if they do not respond within the 60-day period set down under the Promotion of Access to Information Act to requests by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa).
Since the request was made to all political parties in early October and to the 13 companies on October 22, only the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and two of the 13 blue chip companies — Gencor and Richemont — had replied, said Richard Calland, head of Idasa’s political monitoring unit.
The aim is to focus public debate on the current hole in anti-corruption legislation — the absence of laws on party-political funding. It forms part of a civil society campaign to regulate political funding. The campaign is headed by Idasa, the Black Sash, South African Council of Churches, Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Institute for Security Studies.
“I hope they won’t stick their heads in the sand because they will be rewarded [for disclosure] by increased public confidence,” Calland said. But if there was no response, court action was likely: “We are in for the long haul. The law is on our side.”
Between 1994 and 1998 Gencor donated almost R1,2-million to the National Party and Democratic Party. The five donations include two to the NP (R500 000 in September 1994 and R125 000 in January 1998) and three to the DP (R150 000 in October 1995, R150 000 in September 1997 and R250 000 in July 1998).
Richemont head Johann Rupert replied that party-political donations had been banned by company policy since 1998.
In its reply the UDM said it did not receive any substantial donations.