The Democratic Alliance has surged ahead of the African National Congress when it comes to declared political donations, the latest Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) declarations report shows. The DA disclosed donations of R59.5-million for the year up to the end of September 2023, more than double the R22.8-million disclosed by the ANC. This is a huge drop in funding for the ANC compared with 2022.

Action SA, founded in August 2020 by former DA mayor Herman Mashaba, reported donations of R19.4-million. Those three parties account for 97% of the total donations up to September 2023.

Since 2021, only 5 parties have disclosed donations of R1-million or more in a year, the IEC’s report shows. The Economic Freedom Fighters disclosed R3.1-million in 2021, R400,000 in 2022, but it has disclosed zero donations for 2023 so far.

Build One South Africa, founded in September 2022 by former DA leader Musi Maimane, has disclosed R3.1-million for 2023. All registered political parties are required to disclose donations above R100 000 to the IEC. The latest report does not include the last 3 months of 2023, so with elections looming, there should be an uptick in donations.