My Vote Counts says the R200,000 disclosure threshold and incomplete donor details make it harder for voters to trace political influence ahead of the November 4 local government election.
South Africans are heading into a local government election marked by deep voter dissatisfaction, according to research. However, the system intended to show voters who is financing the political parties competing for their votes still leaves important parts of that picture invisible.
Under the current rules, political parties, independent representatives and independent candidates must disclose donations above the R200,000 threshold, calculated cumulatively in a financial year. The disclosure threshold was increased from R100,000 to R200,000 in 2025, while the maximum annual donation from a single donor to a party was increased from R15million to R30 million.
However, non-governmental organisation My Vote Counts believes there should not be a disclosure threshold because voters should know who is supporting political parties and independent candidates, regardless of the amount, in the interests of transparency and accountability.
Noxolo Mfocwa, the organisation’s advocacy lead, says large donations can give donors an avenue to exert political influence over a party once it is in government. She says donors interested in advancing democracy as a whole could instead put their money into the existing Multi-Party Democracy Fund.
