The Electoral Commission has unveiled its fourth-quarter political funding donations disclosure report for the 2024/25 financial year, covering the period from 1 January to 31 March 2025, reports Cape {town} Etc.
This release comes at a time when public and parliamentary discussions intensify regarding the regulations governing political funding, particularly concerning the minimum disclosure thresholds and maximum donation limits.
The National Assembly has recently resolved to escalate the minimum disclosure threshold and raise the cap on the maximum donations allowed per donor per financial year.
If the president enacts this resolution, the minimum threshold will rise from R100 000 to R200 000, while the maximum permissible donation will shift from R15 million to R30 million.
Donation trends remain subdued
In contrast to the anticipated increase during election cycles, the total value of declared donations for the fourth quarter has been relatively modest, amounting to R14 186 594. This total was reported by only three political parties:
- African National Congress (ANC) – R7 000 000
- Democratic Alliance (DA) – R6 186 594
- ActionSA – R1 000 000
Historical patterns indicate that donations tend to ramp up as elections approach. Therefore, stakeholders can expect to see a significant rise in donations as the 2026 local government elections draw nearer.
Detailed breakdown of party donations
The reported donations highlighted distinct contributions across the parties:
African National Congress (ANC)
The ANC declared a total of R7 000 000, receiving two key monetary donations in March 2025:
- Chancellor House Trust – R4 000 000
- Naspers Limited – R3 000 000
Interestingly, Chancellor House Trust has established itself as a repeat donor, contributing a cumulative R11 million to the ANC this financial year while adhering to the current limits.
Democratic Alliance (DA)
The DA’s total donations of R6 186 594 came from ten donors, combining monetary and in-kind contributions, including:
- Naspers Limited – R3 000 000
- Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) – R1 040 907 (in-kind)
- Main Street 1564 (Pty) Ltd – R743 687
- Polyoak Packaging (Pty) Ltd – R120 000
- DKS General Industrial Cleaners – R200 000
Individual donors also included prominent figures, such as Simon Susman and Dag Cramer, each contributing R250 000. Many of these donors have a history of supporting the DA, and FNF’s in-kind donation aided internal training programmes for capacity building.
ActionSA
ActionSA reported a single donation of R1 000 000 from African Equity Corporation (Pty) Ltd, marking a modest entrance in the funding landscape for the party.
Foreign donations limited to one
Notably, only one foreign donation was recorded in this reporting period. The Foreign donation came from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, valued at R1 040 907 and directed to the DA. This donation, classified as in-kind, was utilised for purposes permitted by law.
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Picture: Unsplash
Source: The Electoral Commission
