The latest party political funding report released by the IEC showed that political parties reported a total of nearly R50 million in donations between October and December last year.
The governing ANC was the biggest beneficiary, declaring nearly R23 million in donations. The biggest single donation was from Batho Batho, a company with links to Shell, which donated R15 million. Other large donations which the ANC received were from Naspers, which donated R1 million and Harmony Gold, with nearly R6 million.
In the previous quarter Naspers also donated R1 million to the DA.
The DA was also a beneficiary of Harmony Gold’s largesse, receiving R2.1 million. The mining company also donated to the EFF (R1.1 million), the IFP (R343 000), and the FF+ (R242 000). African Rainbow Minerals, which owns 20% of Harmony, also donated significant amounts in the last quarter of 2021, donating the same amounts that Harmony had to the DA, EFF, IFP, and FF+.
The DA declared the second-highest total of donations, at R12 million. Along with the contributions from Harmony Gold and African Rainbow Minerals, other notable donations that the DA received included R100 000 from SA Breweries, R500 000 from Nicky Oppenheimer, and R200 000 from Jody Scheckter, a former F1 driver who is the only African to have ever won the sport’s World Championship.
SA Breweries also donated R100 000 to the EFF.
ActionSA declared over R5 million in donations, with the EFF’s total donations coming to just over R3 million.
Other parties which declared donations are the Abantu Integrity Movement, (R100 000), African Transformation Movement, (R200 000), GOOD, (R340 000), PA, (R430 000, more than half of which came from its leader, Gayton McKenzie), and the Shosholoza Progressive Party, (R150 000 in in-kind donations).
The IFP’s total donations were just under R800 000, while the only donations declared by the FF+ were those from Harmony Gold and African Rainbow Minerals: a total of R484 000.