Local government elections are set to be held in November.
South Africa's voters and donors appear to be backing different parties.
The African National Congress secured 39.2% of the vote in the 2024 election, making it the country's largest political party. The Democratic Alliance secured 22.1%.
Yet the latest Electoral Commission funding disclosures show the DA declared R57.3 million in donations during the January-to-March 2026 quarter, compared with R10 million for the ANC. This equates to the ANC pulling in 17.5% of the amount the DA did.
On the face of declared donations, political funding is flowing in a markedly different direction from electoral support.
