Ramaphosa address level 3 restrictions

Photo: GCIS / Twitter

EFF reacts to party funding act – tells Ramaphosa to unseal CR17 docs

While the EFF supports the Political Party Funding Act, the red berets have also challenged President Cyril Ramaphosa to reveal who funded his CR17 campaign

Ramaphosa address level 3 restrictions

Photo: GCIS / Twitter

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s move to sign the Political Party Funding Act but has, at the same time, called on him to unseal his CR17 documents, in the spirit of transparency.

Ramaphosa announced on Friday, 22 January 2021, that the law will come into effect on 1 April 2021. The act will force political parties to disclose their funders.

Ramaphosa’s tenure has been haunted by the secrecy surrounding his CR17 campaign funding, which was also at the heart of a heated court battle with Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

“…we call on Ramaphosa to unseal the CR17 documents in line and in the spirit with which he signed the Political Party Funding Act. As the President of this country Ramaphosa must lead by example and disclose his funders immediately,” the EFF’s Vuyani Pambo said in a statement.

EFF: Ramaphosa’s signing of party funding act ‘long overdue’

The EFF further said it was not surprised that it took Ramaphosa this long to sign the party funding act into law – two years after it was passed in Parliament.

“The signing of the Political Party Funding Act is long overdue. We are not surprised that it took Mr ‘seal the documents’ Ramaphosa this long to sign what will evidently promote transparency about the flow of money, strengthen our democracy, and society’s confidence in its leaders. It is a constitutional right to have information, so that there’s transparency and accountability in government,” the EFF said.

Mkhwebane had taken Ramaphosa to court, urging the High Court in Pretoria to force him to disclose the funds donated to his CR17 campaign in his bid to become ANC president. However this was set aside and the public protector took the matter to the Constitutional Court, which has since reserved judgement.

Ramaphosa has since said he was willing to come completely clean about who exactly funded his bid to be ANC president.

According to the presidency, the implementation of the Political Party Funding Act will have far-reaching consequences for good governance and ethical political activity.

“It will strengthen the confidence of citizens in the democratic political process and enable them to assert their right to information,” Ramaphosa’s acting spokesperson Tyrone Seale said.