The race for the leadership of the country’s official opposition party, the DA, has started in earnest after the organisation announced rules of campaigning and fundraising this week.
While the party does not have written laws of how to sanction those who step out of line, it does not expect scenarios such as those involving its rival ANC’s electioneering, where party members have accused one another of buying branches and using money to influence conference outcomes.
So far, former Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse has raised her hand to contest incumbent John Steenhuisen for party leader position. The party is expected to hold its federal conference on April 1 and 2 in Midrand. Nominations opened on Monday and will close on March 13.
DA MP and elections head Greg Krumbock told Sowetan the history of party elections made him confident that they would be held without a fanfare.
“We don’t have a history in the DA of members buying branches or illicit flows of funding. We are required to disclose internal campaign funding and expenditure. We try to make it fair,” said Krumbock.
“There are very clear rules to ensure we comply with the law and all our fundraising is above board. So I do not see any problems. We have never had these problems."
Krumbock said the party required every public representative to take and pass a fundraising course before being allowed to raise funds for the party or anything else associated with it.
Candidates are allowed to raise funds from anyone as long as they are not already party funders and donors. They must however account to the party for how much they got, where they got the money from and how they used it.
“You have to declare any donation within 72 hours to the CEO to ensure that all the money is tracked and properly accounted for. You or the person you appoint must have a register of all your donations to keep track of the funding you are bringing in and how you are spending it.”
They may also not use party resources (human or material) for their own campaigns.
Krumbock said negative campaigning was discouraged.
“We ask in terms of the document that the campaigns are conducted in a way that gives credit to the party and does not do anything but accentuate the positive aspects of each candidate.
“We don’t think negative attacks on other candidates are helpful and we have a clause that says you may not publish any false information and that we expect that in the process of campaigning we bring credit to the party. We frown upon negative attacks on opponents.”
He said the party did not have detailed rules on how to handle a negative campaign because it never had the need for such.
“We have never had to confront that situation. The presiding officers would interact with the candidate and we would convene, if necessary, a meeting and remind them of their obligations."
According to Krumbock, candidates or supporters may not mobilise for votes by appealing to – among other things – race, gender, marital status, social origin and religion.
“If that should happen, we would initially contact the candidate who might be doing that and say 'please, that is not in terms of our rules, please withdraw', and that’s what will happen.
“Normally, just a friendly word from the presiding officer solves the problem. I have presided over 31 provincial and federal congresses and that has not been an issue.”
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