The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has released its first quarterly political party funding declarations report for the 2025/26 financial year, revealing that the DA received over R32 million, the ANC disclosed over R7 million, while ActionSA received over R500,000 from its leader, Herman Mashaba.

Only three political parties made submissions, continuing a pattern observed since the implementation of the Political Party Funding Act.

The annual donation limit per individual has been increased from R15 million to R30 million. The parties received contributions from their usual donors.

Between April and June 2025, South Africa’s top three political parties reported a combined R40,410,474.29 million in donations—more than double the amount declared in the previous two quarters.

The IEC referred the sharp rise to early fundraising efforts in anticipation of the 2026 local government elections.

DA dominates donations

The DA accounted for the lion’s share, disclosing R32.23 million from 13 donors. Two entities with shared ownership—Fynbos Kapitaal (R15 million) and Fynbos Ekwiteit (R10 million)—were the DA’s largest backers, both making payments on June 24.

Other notable contributions included:

– Jufrapi Investments – R2 million

– Friedrich Naumann Foundation – R1,011,143.53 (in-kind support)

– Michael Stekhoven – R1 million- Discovery Central Services – R250,000

ANC and ActionSA lag behind

The ANC declared R7.66 million, all from its long-standing benefactor, the Chancellor House Trust.

Meanwhile, ActionSA reported R520,000 in self-funding from the party leader.

Multi-Party Fund sees modest support

The Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF), designed to bolster transparency and equitable funding, received just R250,000—also from Discovery Central Services.

Civil society groups continue to press for greater corporate backing of the fund.

Controversial revisions to funding laws

The report comes shortly after President Cyril Ramaphosa gazetted key amendments to the Political Party Funding Act.

These changes, which do not apply to the current reporting period, include:

– Raising the threshold for donation disclosure from R100,000 to R200,000.

– Doubling the annual donation cap per donor from R15 million to R30 million

Transparency watchdog My Vote Counts has slammed the amendments as a “regression,” warning that they could erode accountability in political finance.

IEC calls for continued transparency

With election momentum building, the IEC said it expected donation volumes to grow in the months ahead.

The commission has urged parties and donors alike to honour the principles of openness and integrity that underpin South Africa’s political funding laws.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

IOL Politics

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