It is necessary to open the debate on political party funding, the African National Congress (ANC) said in Johannesburg on Friday.

"...If we say no party, including the ruling party, should have a funder who gets his profits from state coffers, we must say so," party spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said at a media briefing at Luthuli House.

He was responding to questions about concerns raised by its alliance partner, the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) on its involvement its Eskom-linked business interests. Chancellor House - the ANC's investment arm - owns a 25% in Hitachi South Africa who have entered into a multi-million rand contract with state-owned Eskom.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi on Thursday said the federation would ask the ANC about its involvement.

"The problem with this is that the ANC will not be able to ward of genuine concerns that it may have decided to accept the extraordinarily high tariffs imposed on the poor and industry irrespective of consequences because it stands to benefit.

"If this is true that the ANC company has invested in Eskom then God help us all," Vavi said.

Mthembu could not answer questions about the ANC's involvement, saying party treasurer general Mathews Phosa was dealing with it.

He said, however, that it was necessary to "look broadly" at what the "protocols" for funding political parties were.

The ANC at its 2007 Polokwane conference resolved on the introduction of a "comprehensive system of public funding of representative political parties".

"This should include putting in place an effective regulatory architecture for private funding of political parties and civil society groups to enhance accountability and transparency to the citizenry," the resolution said.

"The incoming NEC must urgently develop guidelines and policy on public and private funding, including how to regulate investment vehicles."

The resolution had to be implemented by government before the party's next conference in 2012.

"This is so that political parties don't have to go everywhere and anywhere to get funding. "As far as I know there are so many shortfalls... I don't know whether we have a model from the state," Mthembu said.

He confirmed on Friday that there has been no movement on this resolution yet. "We have not at this point in time followed that through."