The DA recorded R104.03 million in political donations during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, accounting for 89% of all compliant declared funding received by South African political parties.
While the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) noted that donation volumes and values are expected to climb further as parties accelerate fundraising ahead of the November 4 local government elections, the sheer scale of contributions to the DA places it far ahead of its competitors, including the dominant ANC, in the election war chest stakes.
According to the IEC’s quarterly disclosure report covering April 1 to June 30, other compliant declarations included ActionSA at R5.5 million, the Labour Party at R5 million, and RISE Mzansi at R2.25 million.
In stark contrast, R15.27 million in reported donations to the ANC was excluded from the official compliant total due to compliance concerns. The funds comprise R270,000 from Captrust Investment (Pty) Ltd and R15 million from the Batho Batho Trust.
Consequently, the IEC issued the ANC with a formal Section 15 direction to address statutory compliance failures. The listed deficiencies include a failure to submit required dual disclosures, missing declarations from donors or recipients, lack of underlying transaction proof, missing supporting documentation, and late reporting.
The commission also raised concerns over an additional R41 million in donations reported by the ANC for the preceding 2025/26 financial year that were submitted past the prescribed legal deadline.
“Pertinently, the ANC has been issued with the requisite Section 15 direction to address the identified compliance deficiencies,” the commission confirmed, warning that non-compliance could trigger regulatory sanctions, including withholding allocations from the Political Representatives Fund (PRF) and the Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF).
The IEC stressed that highlighting these infractions does not constitute a legal finding of unlawful donations, but rather reflects procedural non-compliance with statutory disclosure and verification rules.
The DA’s record R104.03 million haul was bolstered by R30 million from Fynbos Ekwiteit (Pty) Ltd, R25 million from Fynbos Kapitaal (Pty) Ltd, and R10 million from D Barnes.
ActionSA’s declarations included R5 million from businessman Martin Moshal and R500,000 from Siyaya Free To Air TV (Pty) Ltd. However, the IEC noted a compliance query regarding the Siyaya contribution, as the corresponding donor declaration remains outstanding.
The Labour Party’s R5 million declaration originated entirely from the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), while RISE Mzansi’s R2.25 million was funded by Ungani Investments (Pty) Ltd and Captrust Investments (Pty) Ltd.
Political analyst Siyabonga Ntombela expressed scepticism over the ANC’s administrative lapses, describing them as “strange” for a governing party with three decades of administrative experience.
“It is either genuine human error or a deliberate act to conceal information and mislead the IEC and the public,” Ntombela said. “At least the ANC has been granted an opportunity to rectify these mistakes.”
Addressing the DA's dominant haul, Ntombela noted that private capital naturally flows to parties perceived to safeguard corporate interests, adding that the figures signal strong private sector alignment with the DA’s policy platform. However, he cautioned that financial dominance does not automatically translate into electoral victory.
“If money dictated results, smaller parties and independent candidates would never win a ward,” Ntombela said. “In local government elections, personal charisma and localised voter support carry significant weight.”
Ntombela also highlighted broader structural concerns around recent regulatory shifts.
The revised legislative framework, which raised the public disclosure threshold from R100,000 to R200,000 and increased the annual individual donation cap from R15 million to R30 million, may encourage higher donation volumes, but risks diluting financial transparency by shielding sub-threshold funding from public view.
The ANC did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
wendy.jdc@nationalmg.co.za