South Africa’s Parliament Gives Ramaphosa Authority to Establish Political Donation Caps – Brief News Update from South Africa – May 17, 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa has been granted the authority to determine political donation limits in South Africa, following the enactment of the Electoral Matters Amendment Act. This Act, effective as of last Wednesday, removed the requirement for political parties and independent candidates to declare donations of R100,000 or more and capped donations from a single donor at R15 million annually. With no restrictions currently in place, fears are mounting over the potential for unchecked donations ahead of the 2024 elections.

In other news, former South African president Jacob Zuma is finally set to face trial over corruption charges related to the Arms Deal scandal. The trial is scheduled to take place from April to September 2025, after two decades of delays. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) hopes there will be no further delays, as Zuma and his co-accused, French arms company Thales, have already pleaded.

Additionally, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has issued an interdict barring the South African Revenue Service (SARS) from installing CCTV cameras at tobacco-manufacturing warehouses. The Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) brought the application challenging a new rule introduced in August 2022, arguing that it violated privacy rights. While SARS claimed it loses billions annually due to tobacco tax evasion, the court’s interdict may only provide a temporary victory for FITA as the main application regarding the CCTV rule is yet to be heard.