ActionSA announced its new Bill to scrutinise private interests attempting to sway government
The Union Building illuminated with the South African flag. Picture: GCIS
Special-interest representatives paid to sway government decision making could find themselves in the legislative crosshairs.
ActionSA on Tuesday declared its intention to launch another private members’ bill called the Lobbying Transparency Bill.
The proposed legislation target paid lobbyists, with a distinction being made between other actors in government policy and influence sphere.
‘Opaque’ political influence
ActionSA’s intended bill is based on three key facets, over and above increased and independent oversight.
The party proposes a public register of lobbyists engaging with government in return for fees from clients, details of meetings between lobbyists and government officials, and restrictions on government officials transitioning from political posts to private firms in their specialist industries.
ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip Lerato Ngobeni stated that no framework existed to force paid lobbyists to disclose their interests or those of their clients.
“South Africa has long suffered the consequences of opaque influence over public decision-making.
“[This Bill] will ensure that professional lobbying conducted on behalf of paying clients is transparent, accountable and subject to appropriate public scrutiny,” Ngobeni stated on Tuesday.
ActionSA stressed that the bill would protect public participation and was not meant to stifle civil engagement, but allow scrutiny of boardroom meddling.
“Civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations, trade unions and community groups all play an important role in our constitutional democracy.
“As part of the legislative development process, we will consult on whether organisations lobbying on behalf of third-party funders, or receiving significant foreign funding for advocacy directed at public decision-making, should be subject to tailored disclosure requirements,” Ngobeni told The Citizen.
Foreign donor influence
ActionSA were asked about its own relationship with foreign funders, notably Sydney-based political donor Martin Moshal, who donated R5 million to the party in January.
Ngobeni said the political donations were already covered by the Political Party Funding Act, adding there is a “fundamental distinction” between donations and lobbying.
“ActionSA receives donor funding because individuals and organisations support the party’s values, principles and policy agenda. The relationship does not work the other way around.
“ActionSA’s donors understand that they support our policies – they do not determine them. There is no quid pro quo, no preferential access to influence party policy, and no mission creep whereby financial support translates into undue influence over ActionSA’s positions or legislative programme,” Ngobeni explained.
The party explained that the Bill is to allow for lobbying activity to be documented and scrutinised, regardless of the parties involved.
“There is a clear difference between supporting a political cause through lawful and disclosed political donations, and being paid to secure privileged access to public office-bearers or influence government decision-making on behalf of private clients.
“The Bill is designed to bring transparency to the latter while fully respecting the legitimacy of the former,” Ngobeni concluded.
NGOs assisting political parties
The DA has also received donations from Moshal in the past, but the party received over R122 million in donations in the 2025-26 financial year from a multitude of donors.
One European-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) called the Danish Liberal Democracy Programme (DLDP) donated a competitively low R2.3 million over the same period.
DA Federal Council Chairperson Ashor Sarupen explained the DLDP was not a lobbying organisation, but a group working to strengthen democratic institutions internationally.
“They provide no ‘guidance’ or policies to us, they provided funding so that our own policy team can strengthen policy development capacity by improving access to research and data.
“The DA develops and adopts its policies through its own constitutional policy-making processes, and all policies are subject to approval by the DA Federal Council,” Sarupen told The Citizen.
The Danish NGO elaborated on its relationship with the DA in its own statement following the formation of the government of national unity.
“The partners have developed a project that shall rescue the DA from drowning in its own success. That will mainly be done in two ways.
“Firstly, the capacity of the DA in one of the provinces will be developed considerably, so the support to local governments does not have come from HQs thousands of kilometres away.
“Secondly, the new project aims at strengthening the local branches of the party – something which has not been a priority in recent years,” DLDP stated.
NGOs for societal change
The DG Murray Trust (DGMT) explained how locally-based NGOs focused on societal upliftment.
Through its Change Ideas initiative, DGMT have advocated on policy change in a host of sectors, including healthcare, youth unemployment, nutrition, domestic violence and alcohol harm.
“DGMT’s Change Ideas initiative develops evidence-based policy briefs to inform public policy [and] does not represent commercial or sectoral interests, nor does it seek privileged access to decision-makers.
“The policy briefs are publicly available and intended to inform discussion, support evidence-based policymaking and encourage broader public engagement with important policy issues,” CEO David Harrison told The Citizen.
He explained the NGOs were “fundamental to a functioning democracy” and advocated for greater private collaboration between NGOs and government on policy.
“[NGOs] are innovating and finding context-specific solutions; we need to learn from their experience and give civil society the opportunity to co-create solutions that will get South Africa out of the inequality trap.
“In a country strong on policy but short on implementation, it is critical that voices from the ground are able to be heard in the corridors of power and that practical examples of implementation success are able to be shared with policy makers,” Harrison said.
