ANC faces IEC scrutiny over R15.2m in donations flagged for compliance failures

The African National Congress (ANC) is under scrutiny from South Africa's Electoral Commission (IEC) over funding donations totaling R15.27 million, which did not comply with political funding requirements as the country prepares for local government elections on November 4. The IEC has identified several compliance issues with the ANC's donations, including the lack of dual disclosure, missing declarations, proof of transactions, supporting documentation, and late reporting.

The commission has issued a section 15 direction to the ANC, mandating the resolution of these deficiencies or facing further regulatory action. The IEC has also flagged other ANC donations from the 2025/26 financial year, which were reported after the required periods, including an in-kind donation from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, a R10 million contribution from Botho Botho Commercial Enterprises, and two R15 million donations from the Batho Batho Trust.

These donations were excluded from the list of compliant donations due to their compliance failures. The IEC's actions come as political parties declare their funding sources, with the Democratic Alliance accounting for approximately 89% of the total R116.78 million donations, followed by ActionSA, the Labour Party of South Africa, and RISE Mzansi.

The ANC's compliance issues arise at a time when political parties are intensifying fundraising efforts for the upcoming local government elections, and the IEC is closely monitoring high-value donations, late declarations, discrepancies between donor and party disclosures, third-party expenditures, in-kind contributions, proof and verification of transactions, foreign funding, and adherence to disclosure thresholds and limits.