ANC stays mum on leaked information

The ANC says its longstanding principle is not to comment on leaked information.

This follows a leaked recording of President Cyril Ramaphosa speaking at an ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting where he urged members to beef up the boots on the ground and said that funding for campaigning would be made available.

Commitment to citizens

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said it respects the separation of party and state and has a responsibility to monitor its representatives in government and to intervene where appropriate to ensure its undertakings and commitments to citizens are not compromised.

“While the ANC will not be drawn into commenting on statements made by individual leaders during its meetings, the ANC is confident of the impact its elections campaign is making and the positive reception the movement is receiving across the length and breadth of the country,” she said.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said it would file a complaint against the ANC for using state funds to win votes.

“As part of our complaint to the public protector over President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC manipulation of public resources [is] abuse of state funds to supplement the ANC’s campaign for Election 2024,” he said.

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Steenhuisen said in the leaked recording from the early April meeting, it was revealed that the ANC’s top brass, including Ramaphosa, had instructed senior public office bearers to manipulate the public purse to pay for the ANC’s election campaign.

“This new revelation is proof that the ANC is the ultimate emotional manipulator, gaslighting the South African electorate with false promises and smoke and mirrors at the taxpayers’ expense to remain in power.

“Despite no end in sight for the 17 years of load shedding that South Africans have been forced to endure under the ANC, now, just weeks from an election, the ANC has manipulated state resources to burn more diesel to keep the lights on.

“And despite communities having languished under years with no access to water, sanitation and adequate infrastructure, the ANC is only now addressing decades of state collapse under its watch in the desperate hope of retaining its majority,” he said.

ActionSA says ANC is nervous

ActionSA candidate for leader of government business Athol Trollip said the party was not surprised by the level of nervousness and concern exhibited by the ANC ahead of elections.

“The leaked recording revealing the ANC’s ambitions to secure over 80% support in provinces like Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape, underscores the party’s recognition of the challenges it faces in maintaining its grip on power.”

Trollip said while the ANC strategised to secure votes, it could not escape accountability for its failure to address the pressing needs of communities over the years.

“Residents should note that the leaked audio underscored that whatever intervention the ANC may seek to deploy to woo voters should be seen as a desperate attempt to retain power in these provinces,” he said.

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Political analyst Piet Croucamp said the discussions in the leaked recordings contained things most political parties would discuss.

But he said the fact that it managed to leak out was problematic.

“The question is more about the leak. There is so much distrust in the ANC… A leak like this is a reflection of the degree of trust they have among each other,” he said.