The release of the final disclosures of donations made to South African political parties over the 2021/22 financial year suggests one thing most strongly: donors are in a much more generous mood if an election is around the corner. Without that, the pickings are slim.
Only two South African political parties have disclosed receiving donations of more than R100,000 in the period between January and March 2022: the ANC and the DA.
The ANC registered the largest donation during these three months, of R10-million, from the mining company United Manganese of Kalahari (UMK).
As we have previously observed, the majority of donations to the ANC over the 2021/2022 financial year has come from sources linked to the party. The latest R10-million donation from UMK is no exception: the ANC's investment arm, Chancellor House, is one of the BEE investors in UMK.
More controversially, Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg also holds an indirect stake in UMK. In response to questions from News24 in March, the company clarified that the limited nature of Vekselberg's holding does not violate US, UK or EU sanctions.
This is not the first time that UMK, which mines manganese in the Northern Cape, has bailed out the ANC....
