Women For Change founder Sabrina Walter faces renewed questions over how the organisation handles donations. Image credit Women For Change. image: supplied
Women For Change finances are under fresh scrutiny as social media users question how the organisation handles public donations. The debate gained speed on X this week. Several accounts shared posts claiming the nonprofit has not fully accounted for money it raised online.
However, the questions are not new. Founder Sabrina Walter first responded to similar allegations in November 2025, when she rejected fraud claims and announced legal action against critics.
What critics say about Women For Change finances
Critics mainly point to the organisation’s BackaBuddy page. The crowdfunding platform currently shows about R553,909 raised across three campaigns under the Women For Change profile. Some users compare that total with the organisation’s reported revenue and argue the numbers do not match.
In addition, posts on X claim that the organisation declared only R32,000 from one campaign. Mzansi Today Live could not find any public record that supports this figure.
Meanwhile, public records list the organisation’s revenue at R340,968 for 2024. That amount covers a single year, while the BackaBuddy total reflects several campaigns over time. As a result, the two figures measure different things and do not directly contradict each other.
Walter has consistently denied wrongdoing. In a statement that IOL covered last year, she rejected claims that the organisation is unregistered, makes a profit or uses donations for personal gain. She described the allegations as false and defamatory.
Furthermore, Walter said critics had targeted her with hate speech and xenophobia. She also accused some accounts of running a coordinated campaign to damage her credibility.
At the same time, the dispute has moved into the courts. A TikTok user known as Tattooed Papi told IOL that Walter and Women For Change are suing him for R1.2 million. He also claimed that a court dismissed an earlier harassment case against him with costs.
According to him, donation money now pays for the organisation’s legal fights. Mzansi Today Live has not independently verified these claims. Walter, for her part, said she opened a criminal case and was seeking a protection order.
The renewed debate comes at a sensitive moment for the organisation. Walter made the 2026 TIME100 list in April for her role in the G20 women’s shutdown. That campaign helped push government to declare gender based violence and femicide a national disaster in November 2025.
Also, the questions surfaced during a wave of killings in Ekurhuleni. Police have found the bodies of nine women across Kempton Park and surrounding areas since July. Last weekend, detectives arrested three suspects in connection with the ninth victim. Since then, Walter has spoken publicly on the killings and urged police to stop placing the burden of safety on women.
Ultimately, many online users say they want more detail on how donations reach survivors. Some want audited financial statements, while others want a breakdown of how the organisation spends crowdfunding payouts.
On the other hand, supporters argue that the organisation already publishes financial information. They also point to its record of national advocacy and survivor support.
So far, Mzansi Today Live could not find a fresh statement from Women For Change on the latest wave of posts. For now, the debate over Women For Change finances continues on X, with users split between demands for transparency and defence of the organisation’s work.
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