DA declares highest amount of donations: IEC report

The Electoral Commission’s (IEC) first-quarter political funding disclosure report has revealed that nearly R200 million have been declared by various political parties between 1 April and 30 June this year.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has declared the highest amount of donations of over R56 million followed by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) with R38 million, Rise Mzansi with R33 Million and the African National Congress (ANC) with over R26 million.

A total of 14 parties declared donations during this period.

The declaration report is issued against a legislative environment wherein the Party Funding Act was amended, days before the May polls; President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Electoral Matters Amendment Act, which amended the Political Party Funding Act.

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When the Amendment Act came into effect, it reversed the R100 000 disclosure threshold and R15 million annual donation limit set by the Act.

The matter is currently in the courts.

Other parties that received large amounts of money in donations also include the ANC, BOSA, and Action SA while the party that received the least donation was ISANCO totalling a R100 000.

Some of the regular donors were the likes of Martin Moshal and Victoria Freudenheim, Jonathan Oppenheimer, Nicholas Frank Oppenheimer, Batho Batho Trust, among others.

The Multi-Party Democracy Fund received one contribution amounting to R25 Million made by Exxaro Resources Limited which was disbursed to represented parties at the start of the second quarter in July 2024.