By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Political Funding Report revealed that political parties disclosed R230,956,140 in direct private donations over 79 declarations for the 2024/25 financial year.
The commission says political parties are still failing to fully declare their funding, and it’s warned that enforcement powers will be tightened ahead of the next election cycle.
According to the report, The Oppenheimer family donated a combined R60 million across three parties, Democratic Alliance (DA), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and Rise Mzansi.
Both Rebecca and Nicholas Oppenheimer donated R15 million each, with Rebecca supporting Rise Mzansi and Nicholas supporting the IFP.
Gambling entrepreneur Martin Moshal, who owns Betway, donated more than R26 million between ActionSA, Build One South Africa (BOSA), and the IFP.
Moshal was born in Durban and studied business science at the University of Cape Town.
He co-founded Microgaming and launched casino.co.za. He developed foundational patents for online gambling technologies, including the world’s first online progressive jackpot slot game.
He also provided support to major operators, including Betway, and made significant political contributions in South Africa.
Microgaming powers Betway, which offers sports betting, online casinos, online poker, and online bingo. Moshal is also one of Betway’s backers.
The African National Congress (ANC) declared donations totalled around R53 million, including R25 million from its own Batho Batho Trust.
The DA was the biggest beneficiary overall, banking around R68 million boosted by two related investment firms, Fynbos Ekwitiet and Fynbos Kapitaal, which gave R15 million apiece.
During the 2024/25 financial year, the Multi-Party Democracy Fund received R30,885,951 in private donations.
Major corporate contributors included Exxaro Resources with R25 million, Standard Bank with R2.5 million, and Discovery with R500,000.
Following the May 2024 elections, the number of represented parties in South Africa increased from 15 to 20.
Eight new parties entered the political scene, including ActionSA, BOSA, RISE Mzansi, PA, and MK, while three legacy parties—COPE, AIC, and MF—lost their representation.