EXPELLED member of the GOOD party, Shaun August, has accused the party of not disclosing R900 000 in funding that was used to buy T-shirts for the party’s 2021 local government election campaign.
In his affidavit complaining to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), August said he had reason to believe that GOOD had not complied with the provisions of the Political Party Funding Ac of 2018, requiring political parties to disclose all donations received.
"In September 2021, the party purchased various goods from a company in Kwa-Zulu Natal, in preparation for the local government elections, which were scheduled for November 1, 2021. I know this, as I was the person who negotiated the procurement of the goods for the purpose of the elections," said August.
He said the goods purchased from the supplier amounted to R 1 972 365, and the party did not have the full amount to settle the invoice at the time.
"Due to the fact that I had a good relationship with the supplier, I negotiated with the supplier for the goods, to grant a line of credit to the party. The supplier was amenable and required a deposit to be made to them as a sign of good faith commitment," said August.
He added that: "Party leader Minister Patricia de Lille advised me that she had a donor who was going to pay the amount to the supplier directly and we could therefore proceed with the transaction. I was not advised who the donor was."
August said that on September 22, 2021, a payment of R900 000 was made by the donor to the supplier. He said that upon investigating, he realised that the party had not reported the donation.
"This revelation only came to light recently when I was reviewing my messages during my disciplinary case. Although I presented evidence at this hearing, proving no misconduct with party funds, they disregarded it. It was during this review that I discovered the invoices and cross-referenced them with the IEC records, realising that the R900 000 had never been recorded in the report," he said.
August said: "The IEC's annual report did not mention the amount of R900 000, which the donor paid directly to the supplier. While it was deducted from the invoice, GOOD omitted this transaction from their report. This raises concerns about the party's commitment to good governance, particularly since Brett Herron, a prominent figure in GOOD, often emphasises the importance of transparency."
But Herron, the GOOD’s secretary-general, said his party had never received a donation of that magnitude.
"If it can be established that anyone donated R900 000 to August, who was responsible for procuring T-shirts, he did not declare it to the party. Nor did the party ever receive that volume of T-shirts. We note that August was expelled from the party for unbecoming conduct and financial misconduct," said Herron.
He said GOOD had no knowledge of any donation of R900 000, and said the party would investigate the allegation which, on August's version, related to the time he was part of GOOD's leadership and directly responsible for the procurement of T-shirts.
"Despite being responsible for the procurement of T-shirts, he is raising this for the first time now after he was expelled for misconduct, including financial misconduct.
"Based on the media inquiry, we have also written to the IEC. We will always cooperate fully with the IEC, and if they are investigating an alleged donation, then we will support them," said Herron.
August’s party membership was terminated on May 12 after a year-long investigation and disciplinary process conducted by independent professionals in the wake of his poor performance in a by-election in Witzenberg last year. Before his expulsion, he served on the GOOD’s management committee and was in charge of operations within the party; he also served as a member of the Western Cape Legislature.
The IEC has acknowledged receipt of August's affidavit and said it will investigate the matter.