In 2021 the High Court handed down judgment declaring the Executive Ethics Code to be unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid — internal campaign donations to be disclosed.
The victory would see future donations to members of the executive seeking election to political office within their respective parties become subject to scrutiny.
The Code governs the conduct of members of Cabinet, deputy ministers, and members of executive councils. It obliges them to disclose “benefits of a material nature received by them” while in office.
AmaBhungane raised the issue of internal campaign funding disclosure when we intervened in the president’s high court review of the public protector’s report that found that the president had acted unlawfully by failing to disclose donations made to his CR17 campaign for election to lead the ANC.
Our basis for intervening was always one of principle: we did not take a view on the dispute between the public protector and the president. Rather, our arguments concerned the disclosure of future donations.
The case was heard at the Constitutional Court on 31 May 2022.
Read more here: https://amabhungane.org/advocacy/211203-win-for-transparency/
