Political parties in South Africa declared nearly R190 million in donations for the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year.
This was revealed by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on 30 August 2024 in their First Quarter Disclosure Report for the 2024-25 Financial Year.
The report covers the period of 1 April to 30 June 2024.
During this period, 14 political parties declared donations, including:
- Democratic Alliance (DA) – R56,601,039;
- Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) – R38,340,000;
- Rise Mzansi – R33,895,000;
- African National Congress (ANC) – R26,015,313;
- ActionSA – R13,186,000;
- Build One South Africa (BOSA) – R12,877,709;
- Patriotic Alliance (PA) – R6,649,900;
- GOOD – R600,000;
- Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – R515,313;
- South African Rainbow Alliance (SARA) – R400,000;
- uMkhonto Wesizwe Party (MKP) – R380,555;
- African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) – R240,000;
- Change Starts Now – R150,000;
- Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (ISANCO) – R100,000.
Thus, a total of R189,950,829 in donations were declared between April and June 2024.
It is important to note that “this declaration report is issued against a legislative environment wherein the Party Funding Act was amended,” said the IEC.
It set a R15 million annual donation limit of a single entity to a political party within a financial year and the R100,000 disclosure threshold.
The Electoral Matters Amendment Act 14 of 2024, signed on 08 May 2024, eliminated donation the disclosure thresholds for political parties and candidates, creating a lacuna for several months.
Additionally, the IEC said that on 31 July 2024, the National Party Liaison Committee (NPLC) decided that political parties would still declare donations according to pre-amendment limits, despite the lack of legal thresholds.
“As at the date of this publication, the lacuna regarding the disclosure limits and thresholds have been removed because of the Western Cape High Court judgement of 16 August 2024 which provided that the pre-amended thresholds are to be utilised pending the determination of new thresholds,” added the IEC.
If this was fully complied to is unknown, given that the lacuna temporarily took away the legal requirement for parties and independents to do so.
Who donated to the parties in Q1 2024/25?
Democratic Alliance – R56,601,039
For the second quarter in a row, the DA declared the highest of all donations declared by political parties.
Two in-kind donations totalling R8,601,039 were received from Voices of South Africa Foundation NPC: R2,384,163 in April 2024 and R6,216,877 in May 2024. This group has links with one of the directors of Fynbos Ekwiteit (a regular donor to the DA), Johan Petrus du Pré le Roux.
Additionally, the DA declared R48 million in monetary donations: R15 million each from Fynbos Ekwiteit and Fynbos Kapitaal in April 2024, R15 million from Jonathan Oppenheimer in April 2024, R2.5 million from SAFDEV SSDC (Pty) Ltd and R500,000 from Discovery Central Services.
Inkatha Freedom Party – R38,340,000
The donation was received from five different individuals and entities, all of which are repeat and regular donors to different political parties in South Africa.
All in monetary terms, the individual donations were received from Jonathan Oppenheimer valued at R15 million, Nicholas Frank Oppenheimer, also to the tune of R15 million, Martin Moshal to the tune of R7.5 million.
African Rainbow Minerals (Pty) Ltd gave to the value of R420,000 and Harmony Gold Mining Company (Pty) Ltd valued at R420,000, both of which are linked to Patrice Motsepe.
Rise Mzansi – R33,895,000
Five monetary donations were received from various sources.
Repeat donor “We Are The People” donated R15 million in both the fourth quarter of the 2023/24 financial year and the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year.
Rebecca Oppenheimer contributed R15 million.
Additionally, The Tempyr Trust, a foreign entity based in Luxembourg, donated R3.3 million, which was used for training, upskilling, and voter education programs in compliance with the Act.
Other donations included R320,000 from the Zungu Family Trust and R275,000 from Craig Butters.
African National Congress – R26,015,313
Out of the total donations, R515,313 was received in-kind from Mobile Technology Networks (MTN) as sim cards, data, and routers for election purposes.
The remaining R25.5 million came from various monetary donations: R15 million from Batho Batho Trust, R5 million each from United Manganese of Kalahari (UMK) and Chancellor House Trust, and R500,000 from Discovery Central Services.
ActionSA – R13,186,000
ActionSA, a regular recipient of quarterly donations, received all monetary contributions.
The largest were R7.5 million from Martin Moshal and R5 million from Victoria Freudenheim. Additional donations included R186,000 from party leader Herman Mashaba and R250,000 each from Leap Serve Holdings (Pty) Ltd and Moxitone Investments (Pty) Ltd.
Build One South Africa – R12,877,709
BOSA’s declared donations included an in-kind contribution of R127,709 from Konrad Adenauer Stiftung for workshop-related expenses.
Monetary donations came from regular donor Martin Moshal, who donated R11.5 million (R7.5 million in April 2024 and R4 million in May 2024), Mary Slack with R1 million, and The Douw Steyn Family Trust with R250,000.
Patriotic Alliance – R6,649,900
All donations to the PA were monetary.
ZAR Empire Holdings (Pty) Ltd, owned by party leader Gayton McKenzie, gave R5.1 million in multiple donations from May to June 2024.
Valumax Projects (Pty) Ltd, owned by Hendrik Francois Bekker, donated R1 million, Delicate Slate Mining (Pty) Ltd contributed R250 000, and Gayton McKenzie personally donated R299,900.
GOOD – R600,000
GOOD declared two monetary donations totaling R600 000.
One was a late declaration of R100,000 from Winston Brittow in February 2024, and the other was R500 000 from “We Are the People,” a voluntary association promoting democratic participation. This should not be confused with “WeThePeopleSA.”
Economic Freedom Fighters – R515,313
Only one in-kind donation was declared by the EFF.
The donation was received from a major cellular phone company, Mobile Technology Networks (Pty) Ltd (MTN), and it was received in the form of sim cards, mobile data, minutes and routers for electioneering purposes.
South African Rainbow Alliance – R400,000
SARA made its first ever declaration of R400,000 received from an entity named TMBH (Pty) Ltd.
The donation was, however, received in March 2024, making it a late declaration.
SARA has since been amalgamated into the uMkhonto We Sizwe Party.
uMkhonto Wesizwe Party – R380,555
The MKP made its first declaration valued at R380,555 in March 2024.
This was a monetary donation received from an entity named the South African Policy Education Initiative, a not-for-profit organisation registered with the Department of Social Development.
African Christian Democratic Party – R240,000
The ACDP reported R240,000 in total donations, all monetary. This included R120,000 each from African Rainbow Minerals (Pty) Ltd and Harmony Gold Mining Company (Pty) Ltd, both linked to Patrice Motsepe and previously known for donating to various parties.
Change Starts Now – R150,000
CSN reported a monetary donation of R150 000 received from the party founder and leader, William Rodger Jardine.
The donation was received on 25 May 2024 despite the party having already announced in March that it would not be contesting the 2024 national and provincial elections.
Independent South African National Civic Organisation – R100,000
ISANCO, an unrepresented political party, received one monetary donation valued R100 000. The donation was made by an entity named Main Street 1564, owned by Anthony Charles Ball who is a regular donor to political parties.
“It is worth indicating that the donation in question was reported by the donor rather than the recipient (ISANCO). The Commission was unable to secure a dual disclosure from the party,” said the IEC.
“The Commission will follow this up with the party with the view to enforce full compliance,” it added.
Read: South Africa’s richest parties – by declared donations
