The Electoral Commission hereby publishes the declaration of donations for the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, covering the period 1 September to 31 December 2025.
In terms of the Political Funding Act, 2018, political parties were required to submit their third-quarter donation reports to the Commission no later than 31 January 2026. Therefore, any declaration submitted after this date constitutes a late declaration.
While such declarations are published in the interest of transparency, the Commission is obliged to initiate the relevant administrative processes, including issuing directives in terms of section 15 of the Act. This reporting cycle is the first complete cycle since the promulgation of the revised donation thresholds and upper limits. The National Assembly increased the reporting threshold from R 100 000 to R 200 000, and the annual upper limit from R15 million to R 30 million.
Although it may have been anticipated that the upward revision might result in substantially higher declared amounts, this has not necessarily materialised during this reporting quarter. This, however, does not preclude such increased disclosures in future reporting periods, particularly in anticipation of the forthcoming 2026/27 Local Government Elections (LGE 2026/27).
Overview of Declarations
A total of five political parties made declarations for the reporting period:
1. African National Congress (ANC) – R 2 000 000
2. ActionSA – R 1 467 000
3. Democratic Alliance (DA) – R 31 289 988.26
4. Build One South Africa (BOSA) – R 103 481.00
5. Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) – R 158 329.56
Cumulatively, R 35 018 798.82 was declared by the five political parties. This amount includes both monetary and in-kind donations, with the later donations only constituting 4.1% (R1 434 839.05) of the total declared amount.
Included in the total is an amount of R 968 810.56, representing either late declarations or cumulative donations. A late declaration refers to a donation reported outside the prescribed reporting timeframe, even if the donation was received during the reporting quarter.
Late Declarations and Regulatory Action
Two donations of R 200 000 and R 220 000 were received by ActionSA on 5 and 8 August 2025, respectively, but were only declared to the Commission on 31 January 2026. These constitute late declarations under the Act. Similarly, the ANC declared a donation of R 2 million received from Chancellor House Trust. Although the donation was received on 4 November 2025 and declared by the donor within the prescribed period, the party only reported it to the Commission only on 2 February 2026, after the statutory deadline of 31 January 2026.
In both instances, the Commission has issued directives in terms of section 15(1) of the Act. The affected parties have been afforded 30 calendar days to submit written representations setting out reasons for this non-compliance. These representations must provide detailed explanations for the late submission to enable the Commission to determine the appropriate course of action.
Donations Breakdown Per Party
African National Congress (ANC) – R 2 000 000
The ANC declared a single donation of R 2 000 000 received from Chancellor House Trust. Although this declaration was submitted after the regulatory deadline, the Commission has resolved to publish it in the interest of transparency. The required regulatory processes relating to late declarations, including the issuing of a section 15 directive, have been initiated.
ActionSA – R1 467 000
ActionSA declared cumulative donations amounting to R 1 467 000, which includes two late declarations totalling R 420 000. A substantial quantum of the declared donations was received from the party’s leader, Herman Mashaba, whose cumulative donations amount to R 1 267 000. A further R 200 000 was received from an entity called Lephatsi Investment (Pty) Ltd.
All donations declared by ActionSA during this quarter were monetary and no in-kind donations were reported.
Democratic Alliance (DA) – R 31 289 988.26
The DA declared the highest total donations for the third quarter amounting to R 31 289 988.26. Of this amount, approximately 96% (R30.1 million) constituted monetary donations, while R1.1 million was in-kind.
Two significant donations of R10 million each were received from Fynbos Ekwiteit (Pty) Ltd and Ball Family Trust, respectively. A further R 4 670 000 donation was received from Lawrin Investment Limited, a foreign entity based in Jersey in the English Channel. This donation was allocated specifically for training and skills development and appears compliant, both in terms of the amount and purpose under the Act.
Additional monetary donations, averaging approximately R1 million each, were received from a combination of entities and individuals. Notable contributors include the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (R1 107 148.24) and the Danish Liberal Democracy Programme (R 1 137 811.53), which are regular donors to the party.
In-kind donations were received from Voices of South Africa Foundation NPC (R 850 437.96) and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (R322 590.53).
Build One South Africa (BOSA) – R103 481.00
BOSA declared a single in-kind donation valued at R 103 481.00 from Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) NPC. The donation was allocated towards the costs of a workshop aimed at promoting good governance, public conduct, ethics and accountability.
Although the value falls below the R 200 000 reporting threshold, previous donations from the same donor resulted in the cumulative amount exceeding the threshold during the third quarter, giving rise to the necessity for a declaration.
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) – R158 329.56
The IFP declared a single in-kind donation valued at R 158 329.56, also from Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) NPC. The donation covered costs associated with a workshop to support the training of party representatives in national, provincial and local government structures.
Similarly to the case of BOSA, cumulative donations from the same donor exceeded the reporting threshold during the third quarter, requiring disclosure.
Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF)
For the second quarter in a row, the MPDF has not received any contributions from individuals and corporations.
This absence of contributions to the Fund does not necessarily indicate a structural flaw in the Fund, but rather likely a combination of factors such as donor preference for direct donations, current economic conditions, fiscal constraints as well as electoral timing dynamics.
The Commission reiterates its call on individuals and corporate South Africa to seriously consider and make contributions to the Fund to support and enhance a vibrant multiparty democracy.
Conclusion
The Commission further re-emphasizes its commitment to transparency and compliance with the Political Funding Act and will continue to monitor and enforce adherence to all statutory reporting obligations.
ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Ensuring free, fair and credible elections
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