Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi defended the party's declaration of a R30 million loan write-off as a donation, asserting full compliance with South Africa's Political Party Funding Act. He explained that the loan, obtained from “We Are The People” for the 2024 election campaign, was written off after the party struggled to repay the outstanding balance, despite having paid over R1 million towards it. Zibi clarified that a written-off loan legally constitutes a donation, as per the Act, and that “We Are The People” is a juristic person permitted to donate within legal limits. This declaration comes as the IEC seeks further information, examining the terms of the loan conversion to ensure compliance, though no wrongdoing has been alleged.