DA dominates political party donations in the first quarter, ANC flagged for non-compliance

The Electoral Commission has published the declaration of political party donations for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, covering the period from 1 April to 30 June 2026.

Of the R116.8 million declared, the DA accounted for approximately 89% of the total donations during the quarter, or R104 million. The IEC has meanwhile identified several compliance issues with the ANC’s declarations.

The IEC says the publication comes against the backdrop of the formal proclamation of 4 November 2026 as the date for the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE).

It says it expects increased political fundraising and campaign expenditure, as the elections draw closer.

The reporting cycle continues under the revised disclosure framework, which increased the disclosure threshold from R100 000 to R200 000 and the annual upper donation limit from R15 million to R30 million.

R116.8 million in Donations Declared

Four political parties made declarations during the reporting period, collectively declaring R116 784 185.25 in donations. This comprises R111 500 004.00 in monetary donations and R5 284 181.25 in in-kind donations.

The declarations are distributed as follows:

Political Party Total Donations

Democratic Alliance (DA) R104 034 185.25
ActionSA R5 500 000.00
Labour Party of South Africa R5 000 000.00
RISE Mzansi R2 250 000.00

Democratic Alliance – R104 million

The DA declared total donations of R 104 034 185.25, comprising R98 750 004.00 in monetary donations and R5 284 181.25 in in-kind donations.

The monetary declarations included a number of significant contributions, including:

R 30 million from Fynbos Ekwiteit (Pty) Ltd;
R 25 million from Fynbos Kapitaal (Pty) Ltd;
R 10 million from Mr D Barnes;
R 5 million from Mrs R Slack Diamond;
R 5 million from Ms J Slack Jell;
R 5 million from Mr M Moshal;
R 5 million from Lombard Consolidated Pty Ltd;
R 2.5 million from Kerry Road Trust; and
R 2 million from Predator Securities (Pty) Ltd.

Capitec Co-Founder Michiel le Roux is the founder and director behind the private investment companies Fynbos Ekwiteit and Fynbos Kapitaal.

The DA also reported significant in-kind donations, including expenditure incurred on its behalf for advertising, staffing, legal services and campaign-related assets.

Among these were R2.78 million from Voices of South Africa Foundation NPC, R1.16 million from Make a Difference Trust (MAD), R815 891.08 from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), and R528 655 from Mr and Mrs T Madilonga in respect of two vehicles for use by the party.

ActionSA – R5.5 million

ActionSA declared donations totalling R5.5 million, comprising R5 million from Mr Martin Moshal and R500 000 from Siyaya Free To Air TV (Pty) Ltd.

The Commission says it has identified a compliance matter relating to the Siyaya Free To Air TV donation. While ActionSA has made its declaration, the corresponding declaration by the donor remains outstanding. The Commission has accordingly issued the necessary direction to address the non-compliant disclosure.

Labour Party of South Africa – R 5 million

The Labour Party of South Africa, a party that was formed and launched in early 2024 by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), declared a monetary donation of R5 million from the very Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU). The donation was a monetary donation made on 30 June 2026.

RISE Mzansi – R 2.25 million

RISE Mzansi declared donations totalling R2.25 million, comprising R1.25 million from Ungani Investments (Pty) Ltd and R1 million from Captrust Investments (Pty) Ltd. The donations were made in monetary terms on 11 and 29 May 2026, respectively. Both these donations are fully compliant with the requirements of the Act.

African National Congress (ANC): Donations Requiring Further Compliance Action

The Electoral Commission says it identified many compliance matters relating to donations to the ANC.

The Commission received submissions relating to ANC donations from both the party and donors.

All these submissions have not met the requirements of the Political Funding Act and the applicable disclosure framework.

The deficiencies identified include, among others:

failure to submit the required dual disclosure;
failure by the donor and/or recipient to submit the required declaration;
failure to provide proof of the underlying transaction;
failure to provide required supporting documentation; and
late reporting of donations.

The value of donations currently identified in this process totals R15 270 000, comprising:

R270 000 from Captrust Investment (Pty) Ltd; and
R15 million from Batho Batho Trust.

These donations have not been included in the total of compliant donations published above, as the relevant compliance requirements have not been satisfied.

“The Commission has nevertheless considered it necessary, in the interests of transparency, to make the information available to the public while the applicable regulatory processes are being pursued.”

Late ANC Declarations

The ANC has also reported many donations relating to the 2025/26 financial year after the prescribed reporting periods. These include:

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES): R501 230.29 in-kind donation made on 31 July 2025;
Botho Botho Commercial Enterprises (Pty) Ltd: R10 million donation made on 15 December 2025;
Valumax Projects: R500 000 donation made on 20 March 2026;
Batho Batho Trust: R15 million in-kind donation made on 1 April 2025; and
Batho Batho Trust: R15 million monetary donation made on 29 December 2025.

“These declarations have failed compliance tests in many respects, including late reporting, failure to provide proof of transaction by the donor and/or recipient, and failure to ensure dual disclosure.”

The IEC says accordingly, these donations have not been included in the tabulated total of compliant donations.

Again, the Electoral Commission has resolved to disclose information in the interests of transparency while the relevant regulatory processes are under way. Pertinently, the ANC has been issued with the requisite section 15 direction to address the identified compliance deficiencies.

“Failure to comply with the issued direction may result in further regulatory action, including withholding future allocations from the Political Representatives Fund (PRF) and the Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF). Continued non-compliance may also result in referral to the Electoral Court for appropriate sanctions in terms of the Act.”

The Electoral Commission has emphasised that the publication of these matters should not be construed as a finding that the underlying donations are unlawful. Rather, the issue at this stage concerns compliance with the statutory disclosure and verification requirements applicable to political funding.