The Electoral Commission has released the first quarter Political Party Funding Disclosure Report for the 2023-24 fiscal year. This marks the ninth report published since the implementation of the Party Funding Act. The report covers the period from April 1, 2023, to June 30, 2023.
Four Political Parties Declare Funding
During the reporting quarter, four political parties made funding declarations. The donations declared amounted to R 58,365,321.09, with the value of donations significantly higher than in previous quarters. This amount is the second highest since the implementation of the Party Funding Act.
Funding Declarations by Political Parties
The four political parties that made declarations during the reporting period were ActionSA, the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA), and Build One South Africa (BOSA). The DA declared the highest donation of R 22,901,161.09, followed by the ANC with R 20,000,000, ActionSA with R 12,164,160.00, and BOSA with R 2,000,000 (plus a late declaration of R 1,300,000).
Major Donors for Political Parties
The DA received its major donations from Fynbos Ekwiteit (Pty) Ltd, Main Street 1564, and Mr. G Ryan. The ANC received its funding mainly from Batho Batho Trust and Chancellor House Trust. ActionSA’s largest donation came from Victoria Freudenheim, with additional contributions from Solomon David Group (Pty) Ltd and the party leader, Mr. Herman Mashaba. BOSA received its only donation from Mr. Martin Paul Moshal.
Late Declarations and Foreign Donations
Three late declarations totaling R 1,300,000 were reported by BOSA. These donations related to the third and fourth quarters of the 2022/23 financial year. Only one foreign donation of R 221,161.09 was declared, which was received by the DA from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).
Increase in Declared Donations
The declared donations of over R 57 million in the first quarter of the current financial year represent a significant increase compared to previous quarters. This is the second-largest amount declared out of the nine reports since the Party Funding Act was implemented.
