Regulating political finance in South Africa: perspectives on the Political Finance Act and its implementation

Abstract

The HSRC, commissioned by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), studied the evolving political funding framework under the Political Funding Act (PFA), originally the Political Party Funding Act of 2018. The Act regulates public and private funding, mandates disclosure of large donations, limits annual contributions, and established the Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF). Using a literature review, surveys and expert interviews, the study examined oversight, underuse of the MPDF, gender equity in representation, disclosure thresholds, donation limits, incentives, and potential regulatory reforms. This article discusses some findings and insights from the research study.