4.5. Sources of Funding, Disclosure, Accounting, and Limits Generally, in Africa there is limited regulation of the raising of funds by political parties. Not many African countries have comprehensive laws governing the raising of revenue, prescribing permitted sources of funding, or imposing ceilings or limits in respect of donations which well-wishers can make to political parties64. While information relating to funds received from the State may be in the public domain, very little information is known, other than by the parties themselves, regarding funds raised from private sources. Even in the case of public funding, unless the law requires political parties to account for the money received from the State, the only information the public would know is the amounts granted to the parties but not how the money has actually been spent. Is it desirable that political parties benefiting from public funding should not be required by law to account for the use of taxpayers’ money? Clearly, it would be in the public interest for political parties to account for moneys receive from the public purse. It is unlikely that any political party would have any plausible objections to this. Is it none of the business of the public to know the sources of funding of political parties, the amounts involved and the uses? Masunugure argues that to the extent that political parties perform ‘a socially desirable function in a democratic system’, they must be required to account publicly for the sources and uses of not only public funds obtained, but other sources of funding as well. This, he reasons, is meant to ‘ensure public knowledge of all contributions large enough to have a significant influence on party policy’65. This is a sound argument. Political parties must be transparent and accountable to the people. Should political parties and candidates spend as much as they can mobilise in an election campaign, without any limit? It is desirable, and in the public interest, that there must be a ceiling on the amount of money that parties and candidates can spend. Considering that political parties have different means, even where they are all in receipt of public funding, if parties and candidates were allowed to spend as much as they pleased, as long as they have the money, this would create an uneven political playing field, a result which is unhealthy for fair elections and democracy. Larger parties or wealthier candidates would thrive at the expense of the smaller parties or poorer candidates. 64 65 Masunungure, op cit, p.9. Ibid, p.17. 25