Chair, the ACDP welcomes the opportunity to comment on private members' legislative proposals in this House. This is a rare occurrence. The proposals themselves, of course, did not make it to the National Assembly, which is unfortunate even if simply because it is the fate of almost all other proposals. Most Members of Parliament, if they were honest with themselves, believe that the committee that sits to consider proposals is just for show and a complete waste of members' time, as no proposal ever sees the light of day.
The proposal to regulate private funding of political parties, by hon Greyling, is one that the ACDP supports. This issue is important if we value multiparty democracy but sadly to date the majority have not taken it seriously. We are disappointed, although not surprised, that the proposal has been stopped in its tracks.
The proposal by the DA speaks to a statement by the Public Protector in a recent report into the President's breach of the ethics code which urges Parliament to consider an amendment to the Executive Members' Ethics Act to address all uncertainties or anomalies. In principle, the ACDP would have no problem considering a proposal of this nature. However, the recommendation of the committee is that the proposal is not feasible and should not proceed. Although this is a standard response, the committee does say the proposal pre-empts legislation that is soon to be introduced by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in the form of the Executive Members' Ethics Amendment Bill. This Bill was approved in principle by Cabinet and the final approval is expected in March, for Parliament to consider it in April. So, the ACDP accepts this explanation and will engage with proposals when the Bill gets to Parliament.