The Inkatha Freedom Party applauds the unanimous passing of the Electoral Laws Amendment Bill by all political parties represented in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday, 10th January 2019.
The IFP appeals to President Cyril Ramaphosa to speedily sign the Bill into law so that the objects of the Bill can quickly kick into binding effects.
Among other things, this Bill will put into effect the “prohibition of the use of public funds, except those allocated to a party in terms of the Public Funding of Represented Political Parties Act, 1997 (Act No. 103 of 1997), for the purpose of a political campaign.”
“The IFP has for a long-time raised concerns on this issue to the IEC,” said Mntomuhle Khawula, IFP member of the NCOP. “At a meeting between the IEC and the IFP National Council in January 2009, the IFP President Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi MP raised this concern sharply with Hon Brigalia Bam, former chairperson of the IEC,” said Khawula. “Prince Buthelezi maintained that for as long as the IEC does not monitor the unfair utilisation of government funds to campaign for the ruling party, the general election in South Africa will always not be free and fair,”
The IFP welcomes this move by the IEC and Parliament of RSA to curb the unfair usage of public funds to the advantage of the ruling party. As we speak, the ANC will be launching its 2019 Manifesto launch at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban this Saturday, 12th January 2019.
Scores of ANC Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MECs, Mayors, Deputy Mayors and Speakers will be booked around hotels in Durban on government funds for this function. They will be chauffer driven to this function in government vehicles. “This is the unfair utilisation of public funds for party political gain and mobilisation. We hope that this will come to an end when the President signs this Bill into law,” concludes Khawula.
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Contact:
Mntomuhle Khawula MP
IFP Member of the NCOP
071 207 9445 / 078 303 4542