The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has unanimously agreed that a proposed draft motion regarding regulations on donation limits and disclosure thresholds should go through a public participation process to ensure it aligns with the sentiments of the people.
The draft motion seeks to address a gap in the Electoral Matters Amendment Act of 2014, as identified in a judgment by the Western Cape High Court in the case of My Vote Counts NPC v The President and others. Emphasizing the importance of public engagement, the committee cited Section 59(1) of the constitution, which mandates the National Assembly to involve the public in its processes.
The draft motion suggests that the President should expeditiously establish regulations concerning the amounts specified in sections 8(2) and 9(1)(a) of the Act, taking into consideration the figures outlined in Schedule 2 of the Act before its 2024 amendment. These amounts are fifteen million rand for the upper limit of donations and one hundred thousand rand for the disclosure limit in a financial year.
The committee will provide details on how the public can contribute feedback on the draft motion at a later stage.
In a separate development, the committee has endorsed a report on the determination of the remuneration of Commissioners of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years in accordance with the Determination of Remuneration of Office-Bearers of Independent Constitutional Institutions Laws Amendment Act of 2014.
The committee has supported the President’s decision to implement retrospective salary increases of 3% for the 2023/24 financial year and 2.5% for the 2024/25 financial year for the Chairperson and other full-time Commissioners of the IEC.
The committee will recommend to the National Assembly the approval of the notice determining the remuneration of the IEC Commissioners.
Additionally, the committee was briefed by Parliament’s Public Education Office on their strategies to ensure a thorough public participation process on the Marriage Bill [B43 – 2023]. The committee plans to conduct an inclusive and meaningful public participation process following the framework presented during the briefing.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.