Political Donations Pour In As Parties Gear Up For 2026 Elections

South Africa’s political parties reported a significant surge in donations ahead of the 2026 local government elections, scheduled for 4 November 2026. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) recorded over R97.8 million in declared donations between January and March 2026, marking the strongest quarter of the financial year. The IEC attributed the spike to intensified fundraising linked to the upcoming election period, which now operates under revised disclosure rules raising the donation threshold to R200,000 and the annual limit to R30 million. The Democratic Alliance (DA) emerged as the top fundraiser, securing R57.3 million in the final quarter alone, nearly matching its total for the previous nine months. Major contributions included R58 million from Michiel le Roux, co-founder of Capitec, and R11.4 million from online gambling entrepreneur Martin Moshal. Moshal also donated R5 million to ActionSA, which declared R11.6 million for the year, with most of the remainder coming from party leader Herman Mashaba. Rise Mzansi reported a R30 million donation, though the IEC clarified this was a conversion of a prior loan into a donation, pending further review for compliance with funding regulations. Meanwhile, the African National Congress (ANC) disclosed only R10 million in the first three quarters, with no fourth-quarter declaration. However, two donors independently reported R770,000 in contributions to ANC branches that the party had not yet acknowledged. The ANC also submitted late declarations for R10.5 million, including R10 million from Patrice Motsepe’s Botho-Botho Commercial Enterprises and over R500,000 from Germany’s Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. The IEC instructed the ANC to explain the delayed reporting, while noting that the disclosed figures suggest the party received at least R21 million in total donations during the period. The commission emphasized that compliance with updated disclosure rules remains a priority as political fundraising intensifies ahead of the elections.