The message that was on Saturday morning still greeting users trying to access the anc.org.za official website for the governing party.
This week it emerged that the ANC’s website went down amid allegations that the party owes its website service provider millions.
The provider, Unwembi Communications, gave the party two weeks to cough up R32.5 million or face legal action, according to reports.
Their lawyers demanded the party pay and reconfigured the ANC website to not be accessible.
The site blackout was ongoing for the past week as Unwembi Communications continued to withhold services.
Spokesperson for the ANC Pule Mabe said the website was down because it was being revamped and that a new service provider had been appointed.
He said the ANC did not have a contract with Unwembi Communications.
An attempt to access the site initially led one to a page that said “No input file specified,” which indicated that the site, although running in the background, could be accessed by any member of the party or public. This was later changed to a big message stating: “THIS WEBSITE IS SUSPENDED DUE TO NON-PAYMENT TO THE SERVICE PROVIDER.”
The most interesting fact is that details of the website, such as its domain, are not registered in the ANC’s name – meaning the party can be held to ransom by the owner of the domain, in this case Unwembi.
The party’s ANC Today site is still operational, but a link leading to the main website proves that something strange is happening in the ANC camp behind the scenes.
Unwembi Communications registered its domain in July 1997. They own the party’s .org domain and it looks as though they mean business, despite Mabe’s claim of no contract with the service provider.
ANC opposition members such as EFF deputy president and MP Floyd Shivambu, said on Friday: “The South African Government strangles and destroys a lot of small and medium enterprises due to non or delayed payments for services rendered and goods delivered. It’s now very clear where Government gets the non payment mandate from. The ANC can’t be trusted with anything.”
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