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- The leader of the EFF, Julius Malema, has intervened in the debate on the financing of political parties.
- Malema says he agrees with Paul Mashatile of the ANC that the state should increase funding for the party.
- However, he adds that this can only be done when the economy has recovered.
The leader of the EFF, Julius Malema, has agreed with the general treasurer of the ANC, Paul Mashatile, that the funding of political parties should be increased.
Malema said this during a press conference after the party held its central command team meeting. However, he added that the timing was wrong.
Earlier this month, Mashatile told the Sunday Times that the funds the government allocated to political parties could increase from R164 million to more than R500 million per year.
In the report, he said it was inappropriate for political parties to be funded by donors from other parts of the world, adding that the state should fund political parties in defense of democracy and the political party system within fiscal constraints.
“This is not the right time, people are hungry, people are looking for basic things. Whatever money we can find, we will reinvest it in the pockets of the poor. If money is found, it can increase R350 [Covid-19 grant] let’s go and increase R350 instead of giving political parties.
“We agree that when the money is there, when the economy is flowing and employment is good and we are reducing poverty, in fact we are going to discard completely private financing, that way we will not have funding before the political parties,” Malema said . .
READ | Mavuso Msimang | Party finance law: ANC must stay on board
The regulations governing this section require a political party to provide the details of each donor, their identification number, contact details, amount and date of the donation and requires that this be accompanied by bank statements showing the deposit of these donations in a threshold. R100,000 per year.
Malema does not agree with the act.
He said that until the country recovers from the economic recession, political parties should demand that disclosure amounts be increased.
“Paul is raising genuine points. The time may not be right. Any increase in political parties now can cause a serious crisis in our community. If there is one thing that needs to be increased, it is the budget for food packages or any form of help, “Malema added.
ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang also weighed in on the issue a few weeks ago. He said that although there is nothing wrong with the proposal, political parties must motivate.
Msimang added that this was a regressive turn by the ANC and its national executive committee, and a repudiation of the role the ANC played in securing the enactment of the legislation just two years later.
Elections must be postponed until 2024
The two parties have also agreed that the country’s elections should be consolidated, with national, provincial and local government elections taking place in the same year.
Malema said the EFF had already written to the ruling party proposing that the two work collectively on a joint approach. “We proposed that next year’s elections be postponed and that all elections be held in 2024 to allow the IEC [the Electoral Commission of South Africa] to synchronize the elections. ”
ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule said earlier this year that the ANC national working committee was exploring a constituency-based representation to introduce elements of constituency-based representation at the national and provincial levels, in consonance with the constitutional requirement of an electoral system that results, in general, in proportional representation.
The ANC also proposed alternative voting methods for conducting elections, including the use of electronic voting.
The IEC has postponed next year’s local government elections until the end of the year amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Two weeks ago, the Sunday Times reported that Zondo’s state capture commission had issued subpoenas to major banks to provide all financial records for Malema, his wife, Mantoa, and his late grandmother, Sarah.
Bank statements are not exciting
Malema said he was ready to testify at the commission, denying he had anything to hide.
He added that nothing had changed in his bank records since his Sars case, with only the exception of his parliamentary salary.
“There is nothing exciting in my statements. My grandmothers, my wife, my son. Whoever you want the statement from, I can line them up. I have nothing to hide,” Malema said, adding that this was just a tactic to create doubt and provoke her. that he does not attend the commission.
He said he had contacted the commission’s acting secretary requesting that he clarify the reasons for the subpoena.
Malema said:
I don’t need a lawyer. If you want to ask me about something, I have answered everything, not only to the media but to the authorities … I will go on my own, Zondo can ask me anything.
Following the EFF’s protest in Senekel against the vandalism of state resources following the murder of Brendin Horner, Malema said the party would embark on a concerted program to defend the rights of agricultural workers, the most exploited sector of society.
“EFF branches will visit and interact with farm workers with the aim of finding lasting solutions to their suffering and problems.
“We know that agricultural workers continue to be mistreated and abused by their employers, and we call for an end to the abuse and mistreatment of agricultural workers. As part of this program, we will present a draft resolution in Parliament to propose the establishment of a commission of inquiry on the conditions and remuneration of agricultural workers ”, he added.
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