The asbestos corruption scandal, which implicates the ANC, underlines the urgency of legislation to regulate party political funding. As reported this week, evidence before the state capture commission of inquiry indicates that some of the money looted from the state found its way into the coffers of the governing party. If it is accepted that the looted funds constitute the proceeds of criminal activity, this puts into question the party's moral standing.
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The entanglement of the ANC itself in malfeasance and the theft of public funds has the potential to plunge the whole South African society into a dangerous crisis of public morality.
This turn of events should alarm all South Africans.
This week's reports come on the heels of last week's argument in this newspaper by struggle veteran and former constitutional development minister Valli Moosa, calling for the urgent operationalisation of the Political Party Funding Act.
The act, passed by parliament more than two years ago and assented to by President Cyril Ramaphosa, has mysteriously been allowed to gather dust on the shelf. We, together with the majority of South Africans who want to roll back the tide of corruption, call on the president to urgently set a date on which the law will come into operation.
Beyond curbing financial corruption, the act is critical for other reasons. By making the flow of money to political parties transparent, it will make it possible for citizens to see if the policy choices made by their elected representatives are dictated by the needs of the voters or those of party funders.
It will also bring accountability to our political system by regulating who parties may receive funds from, and how much they may accept. It will limit potential influence on our politics, through the use of money, by foreign actors including government and commercial interests.
Similarly, by requiring the disclosure of donations from local business sources it will make it difficult for those with money to hijack political parties, and ultimately the legislature itself - thus subverting our democracy by turning the will of the people into the will of those who control the purse strings.
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