President Cyril Ramaphosa proclaimed the act in January but it came into effect in April this year. Several political parties, mostly the ruling party, admitted that the law had crippled their finances as some donors preferred to conceal their identities when making donations.
The commission said it had taken steps to force donors to comply, as non-compliance could result in an investigation. The ruling party has struggled to pay its staffers and their UIF benefits, citing, among other things, the act coming into effect. In a bid to correct this, it has opted explore crowdfunding initiatives.“If a member of the crowd donates any amount above R100,000 that has to be declared to the commission. Any amount that is less than R100,000, political parties are obliged to keep a record to that effect.